Vision

Orange County’s young children need safe, supportive and nurturing environments to be healthy and ready to succeed in life. The Children and Families Commission of Orange County supports an ever-growing number of programs and organizations so that:

All children are healthy and ready to learn when they enter school.

Goals

• Healthy Children: Ensure the overall physical, social, emotional and intellectual health of children during the prenatal period through age five.
• Early Learning: Provide early care and education opportunities for young children to maximize their potential to succeed in school.
• Strong Families: Support and strengthen families in ways that promote good parenting for the optimal development of young children.
• Quality Services: Ensure an effective delivery system for child and family services through quality staff, efficient operations, and continual performance measurement.

Mission Statement

Provide leadership, funding and support for programs that achieve the vision that all children are healthy and ready to succeed when they enter school.


Programs

In 2008-2009, the Commission allocated more than $57 million to programs that served more than 205,000 children. The programs we support are grouped according to how they advance our four goals of healthy children, strong families, readiness to learn and quality services.



Background

In November 1998, California voters passed a statewide ballot initiative, Proposition 10, that added a 50-cent sales tax to tobacco products sold in the state. The resulting revenues are directed by the program to fund new and expanded education, health and early childhood development programs, from the prenatal period to age five.

The State Commission, or First 5 California, receives 20 percent of Proposition 10 funds for statewide programs and public outreach. The remaining 80 percent of funds are allocated to commissions in each of California’s 58 counties by their birth rate (Orange County has the second highest birth rate in the state).

In 1999, the Orange County Board of Supervisors established the Children and Families Commission and appointed its nine commissioners to assess and allocate funds to programs that promote development of children in our community. The Commissioners are drawn from the ranks of public and private-sector leaders in the areas of pediatric health and education.

The Commission began with a series of public meetings throughout the county to receive input from organizations that serve children and families, under-represented ethnic groups, and special-need populations. Based on what it learned, the Commission adopted its first Strategic Plan. It allocated the first tobacco tax revenues on February 16, 2000.

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County continues to allocate millions of dollars to fund an ever-expanding range of programs. The programs include local community groups and service organizations, social service partners, school districts, faith-based groups, local hospitals and health clinics, family shelters, and minority/ethnic organizations to ensure every child in Orange County grows up great.