First Five Fundamentals

FOUNDED IN 2008, FIRST 5 FUNDAMENTALS (F5F) IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH A MISSION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES IN ACHIEVING THEIR COLLECTIVE GOALS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. OUR TEAM IS PASSIONATE ABOUT MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BY HARNESSING THE STRENGTHS AND IDEAS THAT LIVE WITHIN COMMUNITIES. AS OUR NAME STATES, THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF LIFE ARE FUNDAMENTAL. OUR ROLE IS TO SUPPORT CROSS-SECTOR LEADERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, TO HELP MAKE THEIR COLLECTIVE VISION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES A REALITY. F5F CURRENTLY SUPPORTS FOUR INITIATIVES PROJECT CHILD SUCCESS, HELP ME GROW PIERCE COUNTY, WASHINGTON COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN, AND NORTHWEST EARLY LEARNING COALITION.

HELP ME GROW PIERCE COUNTYKEY COMPONENTS OF HMG INCLUDE A COORDINATED ACCESS POINT, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, DATA, AND HEALTH PROVIDER OUTREACH. HMG-PC IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDES A COORDINATED ACCESS POINT WITH THREE FAMILY RESOURCE NAVIGATORS AT A LOCAL CALL CENTER, A NETWORK OF DIAPER BANKS, PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS, AND THE FAMILY CONNECTS PIERCE COUNTY PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES BRIEF NURSE SUPPORT TO FAMILIES WITH NEWBORNS. THE FAMILY RESOURCE NAVIGATORS SERVE ABOUT 200 FAMILIES PER MONTH. THE DIAPER BANK NETWORK INCLUDES 11 LOCATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY, WHICH SERVE AS A TOUCHPOINT FOR OUTREACH AND INFORMATION SHARING REACHING OVER 600 FAMILIES EACH MONTH. FAMILY CONNECTS PIERCE COUNTY SUPPORTED 200 FAMILIES DURING 2021 SINCE THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED.

WASHINGTON COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDRENWASHINGTON COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN (WCFC) IS A NETWORK OF REGIONAL COALITIONS WITH A MISSION TO CONNECT LOCAL AND STATEWIDE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES. THERE ARE TEN WCFC REGIONS ACROSS WASHINGTON STATE THAT TOGETHER HAVE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS WITH OVER 1,000 ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS. PARTNERS INCLUDE EARLY LEARNING PROVIDERS, SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES, EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES, CHILD WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS, LIBRARIES, JUVENILE COURTS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES, HIGHER EDUCATION, FAMILIES, AND MANY OTHERS. AS THE ONLY STATEWIDE NETWORK OF ITS KIND IN WASHINGTON, WCFC IS AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEM IN OUR STATE. WITH AN EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WCFC CAN MOBILIZE QUICKLY IN RESPONSE TO EMERGENT NEEDS, ELEVATE LOCAL ISSUES TO LOCAL AND STATE POLICYMAKERS, SHARE RESOURCES ACROSS COUNTIES AND REGIONS, AND ULTIMATELY IMPROVE EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES.

PROJECT CHILD SUCCESS PROJECT CHILD SUCCESS (PCS) IS A COLLABORATIVE MOVEMENT TO IMPROVE THE WELLBEING OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES IN PIERCE COUNTY. OVER 175 ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE VISION THAT ALL CHILDREN THRIVE IN NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS AND ENVIRONMENTS. THE PCS NETWORK SHOWED INVALUABLE IN MOBILIZING PARTNERS IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED MOBILIZING PARTNERS TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO THE CHILD CARE CRISIS, DISTRIBUTING AT HOME MATERIALS TO FAMILIES THROUGH THE TO LEARN PROGRAM, KEEPING PARTNERS INFORMED VIA A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, AND OFFERING TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION.