First 5 Orange County awarded Lowell Joint School District (LJSD) with a grant that provides the district an opportunity to enhance our current programs and resources to support families with children ages newborn to five. There are deliverables aligned to how the funds are measured and utilized within the district. They are: 

• Committed Leadership / Supports Agents of Change / Innovative Best Practices: Focuses on cultivating internal capacity and adopting effective strategies for early childhood development.

• Participates in Taskforce/Collaboration / Connected Systems / Adopts Early Childhood Framework: Emphasizes the importance of working with various partners and integrating services within a coordinated system of care.

• Engaged Neighborhoods / Seeks Community Voice: Highlights the need for authentic, equity-driven community engagement to inform policies and practices.

• Sustained Services / Financial Investments: Points to the goal of long-term policy and funding advocacy to ensure the continuity of essential services. 

For more than a decade, First 5 OC has worked with schools to collect data across the country through a survey called the Early Development Index (EDI). EDI data allows us to have the best picture of where the needs and successes are in our county and neighborhoods.

About the EDI:

• The Early Development Index is a research-based, population-level assessment of children's readiness for kindergarten

• All 25 school districts, and all Orange County schools with a kindergarten population participate in the EDI 

Data is provided about children's readiness for kindergarten on five developmental domains:

• Physical Health & Well-being

• Social Competence

• Emotional Maturity

• Language & Cognitive Development

• General Knowledge & Communication