San Mateo Strategic Plan (2004)

As the County’s leader on issues pertaining to children 0-5, First 5 San Mateo County (F5SMC) stimulates policy and systems-level change that improve opportunities for all families, including our most vulnerable. F5SMC advocates on behalf of the interests of children 0-5 not only through its engaged and strategic grantmaking, but also by inviting other community groups to embrace and act on its vision of an integrated continuum of services for families. This revision of the Strategic Plan presents an opportunity to reaffirm the Commission’s vision, mission, and core values by summarizing progress to date while looking critically at what local data tell us has changed for families in San Mateo County. These data will then be used to consider implications for current and future activities.

The 2004 Strategic Plan Revision contains several components that, together, capture First 5 San Mateo County accomplishments within the context of changing community trends and the larger service providing landscape. A summary of major Commission-sponsored activities is first provided, followed by a description of F5SMC families served to date. The body of the report presents updated data on community indicators of well-being for children 0-5 by Strategic Plan focus areas, combined with a description of grantee impact in each of these areas. A synthesis of results is provided as part of these focus area summaries in order to identify areas for quality improvements and to suggest priorities for unallocated funds.