Trinity Strategic Plan (2007-2009)

In 1998, the California Children and Families First Act (also known as Proposition 10) was enacted, increasing taxes on tobacco products in order to provide the funds to create a comprehensive and integrated delivery system of information and services to promote early childhood development prior to entering kindergarten. Trinity County Children and Families First Commission, also known as First 5 Trinity County (referred to as simply “the Commission” throughout) has received approximately $200,000 a year from these funds. Additionally, the Commission has received $118,787 administrative funds to support staff and operation costs so that overhead costs do not eat into the Commission’s ability to support programs and services. In order to access these monies, the Commission adopted a strategic plan that showed how Proposition 10 funding would be used to promote a comprehensive and integrated system of early childhood development services.

The Commission was created in December 1998 for the express purpose of evaluating the current and projected needs of young children and their families, developing the strategic plan that describes how the community needs will be addressed, determining how to expend local monies available from the State Children and Families Trust Fund, and evaluating the effectiveness of programs and activities funded in accordance with the strategic plan. Since its inception, the Commission has awarded more than a million dollars in grant funds to programs and services for children and families in Trinity County.

This is the fourth revision to the strategic plan adopted by the Commission. The first strategic plan was adopted in June 2000, and the second was adopted in March 29, 2004. A total of 28 public meetings were held throughout the first planning process, we welcoming input and involvement from all members of the community that wished to participate. The first strategic plan documented the needs of children and families in Trinity County and identified four long-range goals to enhance the early growth experiences of children. For each goal, specific objectives were developed along with a set of strategies or actions to be implemented in order to achieve each objective.