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Winter 2024 Edition

Welcome to the Winter Edition of Milestones!

This is an exciting time for First 5 San Bernardino as we begin a year-long celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary. Established in 1999 and ever evolving with the changing landscape, First 5 San Bernardino continues to make positive impacts with San Bernardino County’s children and families. Stay tuned for the many memorable ways we’ll be highlighting this important milestone throughout the year.  Our Little Teeth, Big Responsibility campaign marked its third year promoting oral health to the community. Make sure to read all about this year’s outreach that added successful promotion through social partners including Inland Empire and Los Angeles media personalities.  You’ll want to check out our latest Local Outcomes Report that showcases results from fiscal year 2022-2023 including a new section featuring our systems level efforts and integration.  I can assure you it will be worth your time to catch up on a podcast where Assistant Director Cindy Faulkner was featured on San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Early Learning and Development podcast series. Lastly, see some of the community events we’ve attended in 2024 and meet four of First 5 San Bernardino's newest employees who bring a diverse and broad skill set to our team.  Sincerely, Karen Scott First 5 San Bernardino Executive Director

First 5 San Bernardino Celebrates 25 Years

2024 marks the organization’s 25^thanniversary; celebrations kick off this spring

First 5 San Bernardino is celebrating 25 years of serving young children and families in San Bernardino County. The organization’s rich history dates to 1999 as a response to Proposition 10 – the California Children and Families Act – which launched a program to promote, support and improve the early development of children prenatal through 5 years old.

Now in its 25^th year, the First 5 San Bernardino Commission and team members are planning to celebrate the accomplishments the organization has made in its partnerships, collaboration and in its three focus areas – child health, early literacy and family supports. A new 25^th anniversary logo has been designed to use throughout the year.

Look for First 5 San Bernardino’s refreshed look and feel in celebration of the 25^th anniversary. A robust marketing communications plan is rolling out this spring, and we’re excited to share enhanced branding, new partnerships, engaging media campaigns, fun giveaways and more!

Want to Know How We're Doing? The Local Outcomes Report is Now Available!

First 5 San Bernardino works tirelessly to support early childhood development through investments, quality partnerships and education. The Local Outcomes Reportis how we showcase our results and share many of the great things we accomplished in the prior year.

Everything You Need to Know About Mixed Delivery Systems

First 5 San Bernardino’s very own Assistant Director Cindy Faulkner was featured in the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Early Learning and Development podcast.

Sometimes it is hard to know where to start when your child begins their education journey, but First 5 San Bernardino is here to help discover resources and include our county’s families in the conversation.

Local Social Media Celebrities Tapped to Help Spread the Word About Pediatric Oral Care

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease and it’s disturbing to hear that 60 percent of kindergarteners in San Bernardino County have already experienced tooth decay. To change this trend, First 5 San Bernardino sought out local social media influencers to help parents and caregivers understand the importance of early childhood oral care. For the third year in a row, in partnership with San Bernardino County Public Health Smile SBC, a bilingual oral health campaign called “Little Teeth, Big Responsibility” is providing helpful tips and resources to help families practice excellent oral care with their little ones.

First 5 San Bernardino in the Community,

LuCretia in the Neighborhood

Executive Director Karen Scott was an honorary participant at the MLK Day parade held January 15 in downtown San Bernardino.

A little wet weather couldn’t stop First 5 San Bernardino from attending the All About the Children Day event held in honor of former Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hill (Left to right) Karen Scott, Traci Homan, LuCretia Dowdy, Wendy Lee

First 5 San Bernardino once again has been out and about in the community participating in a full slate of events thus far in 2024. 

First 5 San Bernardino remains steadfast to its commitment of spreading the word to parents and caregivers in the community about the importance of child health, early learning and family supports.  Follow F5SB on Instagram, Facebook and X for upcoming events in our biweekly Sunday Shoutouts. 

@first5sanbernardino @F5SB

First 5 San Bernardino Welcomes New Employees

(Left to right) Jonathan Savarese, Ileana Conley, Erin Meier and Robert Mente are the newest employees to join First 5 San Bernardino.

Over the past few months, First 5 San Bernardino welcomed four new employees in the areas of programs, fiscal, evaluation and administration.

Jonathan Savarese is the newest employee in the First 5 San Bernardino evaluation department. A welcome addition to the team in December, Jonathan chose to join the team as a staff analyst II because of the unique opportunity to merge his research background with policy skills developed in graduate school. 

Ileana Conley is the newest member of the organization’s fiscal team having joined First 5 San Bernardino as an accountant II in October 2023. 

The newest member of First 5 San Bernardino is Erin Meier who joined the organization in January as an administrative supervisor I.

Last fall, Robert Mente joined the programs team as a staff analyst II and brought a wealth of advanced education and expertise from his extensive work history with the U.S. Army all around the world. 

About First 5 San Bernardino

The Children and Families Commission for San Bernardino County (First 5 San Bernardino) was created in December 1998, in order to realize the benefits of Proposition 10 (California Children and Families Act) for the County's youngest residents and their families. The act created a program for the purpose of promoting, supporting and improving the early development of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age, under the guidance of the Children and Families Commission for San Bernardino, and in collaboration with the community and agencies providing services to children.