Improving at-home care is vitally important. A large number of the children living in or near poverty and living with other risk factors are cared for at home or in the family/friend/neighbor setting.

We are implementing the Promoting First Relationships model. Promoting First Relationships, developed at the University of Washington, strengthens the critical bond between parent and child. We also help families by using the Positive Parenting Program.

Referrals to these programs come from the wide First 5 FUNdamentals partnership, including hospital partners and Pierce County’s 11 Family Support Centers.

The Play to Learn model also reaches out to children in at-home care. At neighborhood sites in our targeted areas, Play to Learn sessions provide fun early learning experiences, as well as the opportunity for parents to learn about community resources and what it means to be school-ready.

Numerous other programs are supported by the system building work of First 5 FUNdamentals, such as those providing child screening and help to specials needs children. We are always adding more partners who are reaching out to young children in their homes.

A large number of our most vulnerable children are in informal care with families, friends, and neighbors. We must ensure that these children are receiving developmentally appropriate care.

Play to Learn focuses on children in informal care. These children also benefit from the services of many First 5 FUNdamentals partners, including the libraries, the technical and community colleges, school districts, and family programs.

The State Department of Early Learning is preparing to implement a Quality Rating and Improvement System (Seeds to Success) for licensed child care providers. First 5 FUNdamentals participates as a privately-funded pilot site in the state.

Through our partners, we are implementing quality improvements in licensed child care. We focus on helping providers in our Targeted Investment Communities. Providers will be linked to high-quality child development tools and assessment. We are developing incentives for participation.

First 5 FUNdamentals partners also work together to provide a substitute bank for early learning providers. Substitutes provided through this service make it possible for child care providers to attend trainings. They also keep early learning classrooms open when workers are absent due to illness.

Head Start and ECEAP programs are very important to our system. We are deeply engaged in advocacy work to increase the number of children who can benefit from the program and in linking these programs to community resources. This ensures the Head Start and ECEAP families have access to needed resources.

First 5 FUNdamentals is also connecting parents, teachers, caregivers, and children entering kindergarten. This program promotes ready schools, ready families, and ready children through locally-driven projects.

A huge benefit of working together as a Partnership is that we are able to leverage existing children’s programming and enhance the early learning community through a strategic communications plan. Our current strategies include an energetic website and grass-roots communications tools.

In 2009, there were more than 15,000 enrollments in at least one First 5 FUNdamentals strategy. It is important to note that, due to duplication, this doesn’t represent 15,000 children.