California’s passage of Proposition 10 in November 1998 reflected a breakthrough in the understanding of the critical importance of the first five years of life. Medical and educational professionals recognized the first few years of life as a unique period when the trajectory of children’s development could be either positively enhanced or set on a course toward lifelong challenges. Recognizing the enormous consequences this small window of opportunity presents, the Children and Families Commission of Orange County is helping ensure that all of the county’s children enter school healthy and ready to learn.
The Commission has set out to address several key issues:
- Access to primary care services.
- Health care services for early identification and treatment of children with physical and developmental delays.
- A health and education infrastructure that recognizes and tailors its services to meet the unique needs of children from the pre-natal stage through age five.