Newsletter | June - July 2024

Empathy in Action:

Fostering Trust and Community at Friday CAFE

If you have ever attended Friday CAFE, administered by the San Mateo County Office of Education and funded by First 5 San Mateo County, you’ve heard Anthony Thomas, the Conversation Catalyst at Friday CAFE say, “Empathy is feeling with another person, rather than feeling for them. It’s really about being with someone in the space that they're at, whether good, bad, or indifferent.”

“We’re not human doings, we’re human beings.” Everyone needs space to process and build community. That is what Friday CAFEs provide for family support professionals. 

Last month, our Friday CAFE leaders shared their experiences and the power of connection that Friday CAFE sessions offer.⁠ Read more from our interview with Anthony to learn how supporting support professionals pays off for families. 

Help Us Recruit Parents and Families

for Paid Interviews!

We want to pay parents and caregivers to share your experiences and insights on raising from 0-3 children here in San Mateo County! We are seeking your support to help us recruit parents and caregivers for these interviews. All they need to do is complete a 45-60 minute interview conducted over Zoom or the phone and participants will receive a $75 gift card for their time.

What We’re Looking For:

• Parents and caregivers living in San Mateo County
• Those with children under 3 years old
• Families eligible or enrolled in Medi-Cal, or have a child that is eligible/enrolled in Medi-Cal
• Individuals comfortable speaking English, Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin

Please share this opportunity with families who meet the criteria and encourage them to sign up. Their stories and feedback are crucial in helping us improve services for families in San Mateo County.

Thank you for your support in making this initiative a success!

Let's Read San Mateo County

Explore Let’s Read San Mateo County, a resource created by The Big Lift just for families to read with their children.

Family engagement from the very beginning is crucial to helping children read by the end of third grade. This website is here to support families with a wealth of tools and information designed to help you and your child with reading from the time they are born!

Explore this comprehensive guide to reading and language development milestones from birth through elementary school. Learn how reading works, discover practical tips for reading with your child at different ages and find resources for additional support if they are facing challenges.

Let’s Read San Mateo County was developed by Big Lift, a First 5 San Mateo County partner, in partnership with the Oakland Literacy Coalition and Oakland Reads.

Build Up SMC: Leading the Nation with Comprehensive Early Childhood Action Plan

San Mateo County, it is HOT, and it's been getting hotter. Climate change has led to record-breaking heat, and children under 5 face specific risks. 

Build Up San Mateo County, in collaboration with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) and the Child Care Partnership Council (CCPC), recently hosted a workshop with Elliot Haspel, the nationally-recognized child and family policy expert and more than 20 representatives from local early childhood education organizations and county offices to discuss the Early Years Climate Action Plan (EYCAP). 

San Mateo County is the first in the nation to create a detailed early childhood action plan based on the EYCAP. “San Mateo County has the opportunity to build a coalition that prioritizes children in climate action planning,” said Dayna Chung of Community Equity Collaborative. At the workshop, participants discussed what needs to be done locally and made recommendations for local government, early childhood providers, businesses, and philanthropists.

To learn more about how San Mateo County is pioneering this initiative and to see the full press release, click below.



What Parents Want Us To Know

In 2020, RAPID asked people, “What do you want elected officials and policymakers to know about how your family is doing and what you need?” Since the RAPID Survey Project started in 2020, thousands of parents of children under age 6 and childcare providers across the country have responded to this open-ended survey question and now RAPID has received more than 30,000 responses.

In brief, parents and childcare providers say:

• Child care is their top concern.
• More support is needed to help families meet essentials like healthcare and housing.
• Pandemic-era solutions supported families with young children. 
• Families want to see elected officials take meaningful action to help families.

Explore the findings in the RAPID 4th Anniversary Special Report: What parents of young children and child care providers want elected officials to know.

Congratulations on Retirement, Karen Pisani! Thank You for Everything

After almost 20 years with First 5 San Mateo County, we want to say heartfelt congratulations to Karen Pisani on her retirement! Karen served as F5SMC’s Family Support Program Specialist since August 2005. 

Throughout her career, Karen was dedicated to supporting families, especially those who needed the most care. Before she took on her role as our Family Support Program Specialist, she worked at The Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CORA) where she served as the Director of Development and Interim Executive Director.



Her impact here at First 5 San Mateo County has been so meaningful, and she will be missed! Congratulations again, Karen! Enjoy time with your family and thank you again for everything! 

What's in Your Community Toolkit?

San Mateo County families have so many incredible resources at their fingertips. Share these tools for everything from free new parent support resources, First 5 SMC partners, simplified tax information, and so much more. Our goal is to make it easier for families to access the resources they need to raise happy, healthy children. This toolkit is intended to help our partners and others in San Mateo County support parents and collaborate in our shared effort to prioritize children and families across San Mateo County.