About Us
Who We Are
Early Childhood OC is a community collaborative that was formed to develop Orange County’s Early Childhood Policy Framework in order to ensure that young children reach their developmental potential and are ready to succeed in school and life. The Framework ensures adults are knowledgeable, nurturing, responsive and interact effectively with other adults, children and the family unit and environments that impact children are safe supportive, stable and healthy. Through implementation of the Framework, Orange County will attain economic and social benefits.
Vision
All children are valued, nurtured, healthy and thriving.
Mission
Growing and elevating partnerships and communities to advance the Early Childhood Policy Framework and use our collective strengths for greater impact on early childhood outcomes.
Core Principles
1. Children and Families thrive regardless of income, language and culture.
2. Supports and services are coordinated and integrated across settings and sectors.
3. Policies and practices are family centered.
Early Childhood OC Staff
Nicholas Jakel, MA | Communications Associate
Steering Committee
Lisa Burke | Vice President of Learning and Integration
First 5 Orange County
Barry Ross | Regional Director, Community Health Investment
Providence St. Joseph Health
Michael Arnot | Executive Director
Children’s Cause Orange County
Kate Bono, PhD | Associate Dean
California State University Fullerton
Leslie Perovich | Chief Operating Officer Pretend City Children’s Museum
Sofia Martinez | Chief of Children’s Services
Reimagine OC
Communications Committee
Michael Anderson
First 5 Orange County
Rebecca Hernandez
Help Me Grow
Leslie Perovich
Pretend City Children’s Museum
Anna Romiti
YMCA of Orange County
Candice Staples
Families and Children Together (FaCT)
Diana Torres
Children’s Home Society of California
Outreach and Engagement Committee
Kate Bono
California State University Fullerton
Nikki Buckstead
Family Solutions Collaborative
Kimberly Didrikson
Learning Motherhood
Denielle Espejo
Pathways
Elida Garcia
Orange County Department of Education
Brett Patterson
Progressive Interventions
Maridet Ibanez
Orange County Health Care Agency
Arezoo Shahbazi
Human Options
Policy & Advocacy Committee
Tiffany Alva
First 5 Orange County
Michael Arnot
Children’s Cause OC
Maura Byron
Family Support Network
Fritzi Gragg
Local Planning Council
Sofia Martinez
Reimagine OC
Jamie McDonald
American Academy of Pediatrics, OC
Christina Nigrelli
Zero to Three
Michelle Murphy
Orange County United Way
Mike Odeh
Children Now
Rachel Rolnicki
CHOC Children’s
Iliana Soto-Welty
Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies
Kaitlyn Truong
Comfort Connection, Regional Center of Orange County
Colleen Versteeg
Orange County Head Start
Resource Development Committee
Michael Arnot
Children’s Cause Orange County
Jill Bright
Orange County Social Services Agency
Karen Francis
Child Guidance Center
Nikita Ganatra
Kumon, Foothill Ranch
Mara James
Extraordinary Lives Foundation
Andrea Pronk-Dunn
MOMS Orange County
Michelle Silva
Families Forward
Organizational History
The desire to create a community framework to help young children thrive grew out of the screening of the documentary, The Raising of America. This film demonstrated the importance of early childhood, and how a strong start for all young children can lead to better individual outcomes and healthier, safer, more prosperous communities. Beginning in 2017, a group of more than 40 individuals representing 30 organizations in Orange County met for over two years to develop the Early Childhood Policy Framework. This Task Force patterned Orange County’s Early Childhood Policy Framework after a similar, successful model in Colorado, called Early Childhood Colorado.
Founding Early Childhood Policy Framework Members
Brandman University
California State University Fullerton
Children’s Bureau
Children’s Home Society of California
Community Action Partnership of Orange County
Costa Mesa Family Resource Center
Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative
Families Forward
Family Solutions Associates
First 5 Orange County
Fullerton School District
Help Me Grow Orange County
Human Options
Kuman Math and Reading Center, Foothill Ranch
Little by Little Early Literacy Project
Michael Arnot Consulting
MOMS Orange County
Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children
Orange County Child Care and Development Planning Council
Orange County Department of Education
Orange County Head Start Inc
Orange County Health Care Agency
Orange County Social Services Agency
Orange County United Way
Passionate Community Leaders
Pretend City Children’s Museum
Regional Center of Orange County
Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative
St. Joseph Hoag Health
Western Youth Services
Women Infants & Children (WIC)
Zero to Three
What We Do
- Increase education and awareness of the Early Childhood Policy Framework
- Engage and maintain strategic partnerships
- Provide Early Childhood Policy Framework implementation support
- Drive early childhood policy change
- Change the funding landscape to include an early childhood focus
Why We Do It
To Create
Thriving
Communities
where young children reach their developmental potential and are ready to succeed in school and life.
where adults are knowledgeable, nurturing, responsive and interact effectively with other adults, children and the family unit.
where environments that impact children are safe, supportive, stable and healthy.
so Orange County attains economic and social benefits by prioritizing children and families.
How We Do it
Strategies for Action
- Promote and share knowledge
- Identify and eliminate barriers
- Build community capacity
- Make data-informed decisions
- Encourage public-private approaches
- Advance adequate and sustainable funding
- Implement quality standards
- Embed continuous quality improvement
- Ensure coordinated messaging