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INTRODUCTION
Countless research studies confirm what we as practitioners and advocates have known for a long time: the first five years of a child’s life can have a lasting impact on later learning, behavior, and health. We also know that a focus on the child is not enough. Environment matters; children thrive when their parents have the resources and assets they need to support their families and when they live in communities with the capacity to support safety and healthy development.
And, yet, about one in five of all children ages 5 and younger in California live in poverty, and nearly half of California’s children live in households that are at or near the poverty level. In Los Angeles County and elsewhere in the state, racialized income and early childhood education gaps persist (First 5 LA, A Take on Equity). If you believe – like we do at CCRC – that children and families are the best investment for the future, these statistics speak to the urgent and persistent need for investment in young children and their families.
Thankfully, the public is responding to the call. We are in a period of increased public awareness of the critical importance of early childhood. There is a renewed commitment at the state level to invest in young children and their families. And that’s good for the child, family, and society at large. Every dollar spent on high-quality, birth-to-five programs yields a 13% annual social return on investment (Heckman, 2016).
Here at CCRC we are unwavering in our commitment to lasting change. As you’ll read on the following pages, this Strategic Plan sets forth a path for greater impact at the individual, family, and social systems levels. It calls for us to grow our role as leaders in family well-being for all families. It calls for continued investment in quality early childhood options – in homes, at centers, in communities – that provide children and families with the resources they need to be healthy and productive. It calls for continued leadership and partnership at the county, state, and national levels to advance policies that are responsive to community needs priorities.
We invite you to join us as we prepare for this next period of growth and development.
Michael Olenick, Ph.D.
President & CEO
Jeriel Smith
Chair, Board of Directors
STRATEGIC PLAN
2019-2024
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