Ventura

Introduction

Ventura County is located in the southern California. It is located on California’s Pacific coast, and forms the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country. It is ranked as one of the top 100 highest-income counties in the country and as the 6th wealthiest county in California by per capita income. The state government’s population bureau lists a January 1, 2006 estimate of 799,720. A more current California Department of Finance estimate places the population at 813,052.

First 5 Ventura County has worked with school districts, community-based providers, State preschool vendors and the county’s Head Start provider to expand preschool service and quality. Over 1,100 new preschool spaces have been created through these partnerships. The Ventura County Office of Education is an implementation partner for Preschool for all and has been in partnership with First 5 Ventura since September 2006. First 5 Ventura County and its partners aim to expand access to high quality
preschools over the next several years, starting with those children who need it most.

In 2003, First 5 Ventura County spearheaded a broad-based planning process involving over 500 stakeholders throughout the community, which resulted in a detailed work plan to improve children’s readiness for school through expanding access to high quality preschool programs. This Preschool for All (PfA) work plan describes rigorous preschool quality standards, provides a road-map for gradual implementation over a 5-year period, and proposes county-wide system change strategies to address overall PfA goals.

First 5 Ventura County, First 5 California, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services through its Early Learning Opportunities Act (ELOA) Grant, and the Packard Foundation have made significant financial commitments toward implementing Preschool for All (PfA) in the Hueneme pilot region. Selected by First 5 California as one of nine Power of Preschool Counties, immediate implementation steps for the Hueneme pilot region included creating new preschool spaces and improving the quality of existing center-based and family child care programs to meet PfA standards, with the goal of increasing the number of kindergarten children with quality preschool experiences to 70% by 2010. To reach this goal, First 5 Ventura County builds on existing capacity and expertise by working with community partners and blends multiple funding streams, such as Head Start, State Preschool, Alternative Payment, and First 5 funds, to build a diverse base of PfA-quality preschool programs that meet the diverse needs of families. With the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, 308 PfA spaces are available to 4-year old children, with an additional 96 spaces scheduled to become
operational during the year.

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