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Welcome to
First 5 Santa Barbara County

All children deserve the best start in life. In the first 5 years of a child's life, critical connections are made in the brain that impact lifelong learning. How we nurture and support our children today will impact their success in school and in life.

First 5 Santa Barbara County Children and Families Commission works in partnership with individuals and organizations throughout the county, to support the health, early learning and well-being of children pre-natal through age 5 and their families.    

 

New from NAEYC! The For Families website

NAEYC has a new website! The For Families site includes a wealth of information about children’s learning and development, what to look for in a child care program, and why NAEYC Accreditation is the right choice for families. This is a useful and engaging resource for parents. For more information, visit www.families.naeyc.org    

Potter the Otter Loves to Drink Water

Potter the Otter w/colored background Potter loves water and wants you and your family to love water too!
 
Did you know that cutting back on sugar-sweetened beverages can help your family stay healthy? Drinking water instead of sugary beverages can help prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes in both children and adults.

This season, take the ReThink Your Drink Pledge and spread the message about the health benefits of water, and follow Potter the Otter's adventure as he spreads the word to his friends!

Click Here to order your FREE copy of Potter the Otter: A Tale About Water
Visit the newly redesigned and kid friendly Potter website at www.potterloveswater.com   

Drink water for thrist and you should know Water is healthy it helps you grow! 

A Quality Rating & Improvement System for Child Care Programs

Santa Barbara County is one of 16 counties taking part in California's Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant to increase the number of high quality early learning programs in California. To find out more, and to give us your input, click here

 

 

 

NEWS & EVENTS

First 5 Advisory Board Recruitment

First 5 Santa Barbara County is seeking applications to fill 5 vacancies on the Advisory Board. 

Applications are available at our Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Offices, or can be downloaded here.

This recruitment will remain open until all positions are filled. Questions regarding these vacancies should be directed to Sara Soto-Gonzalez 805.884.8085.

"Quality in Action" Early Childhood Education Program Tours 04/26

The Pacific Coast Association for the Education of Young Children (PCAEYC) is celebrating Excellence in Early Childhood Education. The PCAEYC board invites you to view Quality in Action in your local childcare programs. To review the original announcement and join the tours on Friday, April 26th, 2013 click here.

There are no new events at this time.

ECE Higher Education Readiness Survey

If you are interested in transferring to a local BA program in Child Development or closely related field we invite you to complete our online ECE Higher Education Readiness Survey. We will work closely with you and our local partners to support your transfer and access to support services. To download a hardcopy of the survey click here.