First 5 Alameda County

First 5 Alameda County supports young children, families, caregivers, and early childhood professionals through developmental assistance, family support, provider training, and investments in early learning and care. This article explains how its main services work, which programs fit different needs, how to use its official resource and registration systems, and what to consider before requesting support or submitting a referral.

First 5 Alameda County’s Public Role

First 5 Alameda County is a public entity created following the passage of Proposition 10 in 1998. Its work focuses on helping young children grow up healthy and ready to learn while strengthening the systems that families depend on. The official First 5 Alameda County website provides separate pathways for families, providers, and communities, along with information about programs, funding, public meetings, and policy.

The agency’s responsibilities extend beyond a single family service. It funds early childhood initiatives, works with public agencies and families, administers programs, and advocates for policies supporting young children. Its programs include family resource navigation, support for access to affordable child care, pediatric care coordination, and professional development for providers.

First 5 describes its approach as “whole community, whole family, whole child.” This means considering the child’s surroundings as well as the child’s individual needs. Health care, housing, food, family relationships, neighborhood conditions, and early education all fall within that broader framework. The agency’s description of its responsibilities and approach explains how these areas connect.

Which Service Fits Your Needs?

The most useful entry point depends on the question you need answered. Fathers and father-figures can review Fathers Corps opportunities. Early care and education professionals can look to Quality Counts for program improvement support and to First 5’s training calendar for professional learning.

These services serve different purposes. A developmental referral is separate from a training registration. Quality Counts participation is separate from applying for a professional development stipend. Measure C is a funding initiative with its own program plan and funding opportunities. Choosing the appropriate service helps avoid sending a request through a system designed for a different audience.

First 5’s main office is in the city of Alameda, while its work serves children and families across Alameda County. Some services operate by telephone or online, and others involve care coordination or a particular program location. For example, Project DULCE is housed at Highland Hospital’s Pediatric Department, while First 5 trainings generally take place online unless the event information says otherwise.

Parent Resources and Website Searches

The official parent resource library brings together information and programs for parents and caregivers. Its entries include First 5 community programs, Measure C materials, kindergarten readiness information, and the Oakland Children’s Initiative Roadmap. The library can help families distinguish practical program information from reports about the broader early childhood system.

Search and filter controls allow users to narrow results by audience, topic, and media type. Topics include Family, Health & Wellbeing, Learning & Care, and Neighborhood. Audience choices include Parents/Caregivers, Child Care Providers, Pediatric Providers, Community Partners, Policy Makers, and Providers. Media categories include reports, videos, resources, community data, and commission materials.

A parent looking for family support can focus on the Parents/Caregivers audience and the Family topic. A professional looking for early learning information can select the relevant provider audience and Learning & Care. If a search becomes too narrow, the Reset control allows users to clear filters. Resource titles also help identify whether an item is a program description, a planning document, a dashboard, or a video.first5alameda. Its free information and referral helpline serves both parents and providers. Multilingual professionals offer confidential support, help identify developmental concerns, and connect families with resources.

The helpline operates Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Care Coordinators answer questions about children’s development, learning, and behavior. When a family has a concern, coordinators work with them to consider options, solve problems, and connect with services. They also keep providers informed about referrals.

For a useful conversation, focus on the developmental, learning, or behavioral question that prompted your call. Explain the concern you want help addressing and the kind of support you are seeking.

Family Navigators and In-Person Assistance

Families wanting additional help can receive in-person care coordination from Family Navigators. These parent professionals provide home visits, interpretation assistance, and peer support. They also help families work through service systems and enroll in services for their child and family.

This component is useful when a referral alone does not resolve the family’s need. The navigator’s work includes helping families problem-solve and move through the steps involved in accessing support. Participating families regularly receive the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, or ASQ, until the child’s fifth birthday. Staff share results, offer tips, and help address concerns.

Screening results can be shared with providers with permission. Families and professionals should distinguish that permission from the separate consent needed for a provider referral. Both involve sharing information, but they apply to different parts of the service. Completed forms can be returned through secure email or fax. The electronic portal offers another way to send a referral.

Family consent must be obtained before completing an online referral. Providers should choose the form appropriate to their role and follow the submission method associated with it.

Quality Counts for Early Education Providers

Quality Counts helps early care and education professionals improve their programs. First 5 Alameda County provides integrated quality rating, funding opportunities, technical assistance, professional development, training, and coaching through this initiative.

Its focus includes low teacher-to-child ratios, small groups, age-appropriate activities, safe and engaging learning environments, and activities supporting physical, social, and emotional growth. Qualified staff and access to professional learning are also part of its approach. For providers, participation concerns the quality of the early learning setting and the support needed to improve it.

Eligible Sites and Participation Priorities

Quality Counts eligibility covers all licensed early care and education sites and publicly funded, license-exempt sites. The categories identified by First 5 include:

California Department of Education contractors operating CSPP and CCTR programs.
Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
Licensed family child care providers and private centers.
Legally license-exempt public child care centers.

Priority goes to providers serving children from low-income families, infants and toddlers, children with special needs, and children who are English Language Learners. These priorities concern Quality Counts participation and should not be treated as eligibility rules for every other First 5 program.

Stipend Applications and Workforce Records

Participants seeking the Quality Counts Professional Development Stipend or the Workforce Pathways Project Higher Ed Stipend must register and submit applications through the California Early Care and Education Workforce Registry. Participating in Quality Counts does not replace that application requirement.

The registry maintains demographic and verified educational information for the early care and education workforce. It tracks employment history, degrees, professional development hours, child development permits, credentials, and accomplishments. Its website, resources, and technical assistance are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. First 5’s Quality Counts page points users to account instructions and tutorial videos.

Providers should distinguish the registry account used for stipend applications from the account used to register for First 5 trainings. These systems support different tasks, even when the same professional uses both.

Training Registration and Event Access

First 5 offers trainings for professionals working with young children in mental health, early education, health, family support, and administration. The trainings and public meetings page provides access to its training calendar and registration information.

Registration opens two to four weeks before the training date. All trainings require registration, and attendance is free. New users need to create an account and password. The First 5 Helpdesk provides technical assistance with registration.

Unless an event states otherwise, trainings take place online. Meeting links are sent to registrants the day before the event and again one hour before it begins. Registration and meeting access are separate steps: registering reserves participation, while the later message provides the link needed to join.

Professionals interested in becoming First 5 trainers can join the trainer registry on HIGH5 through the training page. Participants with a training issue can review the First 5 Grievance Policy identified there. The helpdesk is the designated contact for registration problems, while the grievance process addresses issues with a training.

Fathers Corps and Parenting Participation

The Alameda County Fathers Corps is available to all fathers and father-figures in Alameda County. It promotes services that recognize fathers’ roles, strengthen parenting skills, and support meaningful engagement with children and families.

Fathers Corps is a collaboration involving First 5 Alameda County and the county’s Health Care Services Agency, Social Services Agency, Probation Department, and Child Support Services Department. Its work includes listening to fathers, supporting father-specific programming, convening a countywide Fatherhood Summit, and helping service providers reduce barriers to father involvement.

Dad-scussions is an ongoing virtual series where fathers discuss topics that matter to them. The program page also identifies a Fatherhood Resource Directory. Providers have separate opportunities through the Father-Friendly Provider Network and the Healthy Relationships Learning Community, which focus on engagement practices and co-parenting conversations.

The audiences differ: Dad-scussions is intended for fathers and father-figures, while provider learning activities build the capacity of professionals and agencies. When reviewing an opportunity, match the audience and the dated schedule to the activity you intend to join.

Project DULCE for Families With Newborns

Project DULCE, short for Developmental Understanding and Legal Collaboration for Everyone, is a pediatric care coordination initiative for families with young babies during the first six months of life. It is housed at Highland Hospital’s Pediatric Department.

The initiative connects families with home visits, legal consultation, and resources supporting healthy child development. Parent leadership helps inform its programming and investments.

Families reviewing First 5’s health-related services should keep those differences in mind.

Measure C Child Care Investments

The Children’s Health and Child Care Initiative for Alameda County, known as Measure C, is a 0.5% sales tax approved by voters in March 2020. It was designed to generate approximately $150 million annually. First 5 administers the child care, preschool, and early education portion, representing 80% of the revenue.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors adopted the Measure C five-year plan on June 10, 2025. The plan includes investments in provider support, early educator compensation, subsidized child care, Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers, inclusion supports, Family Resource Centers, and navigation connecting families with services.

The adopted plan identifies 2,400 new subsidized child care slots. It also includes a wage floor of at least $25 per hour in Year 2 and increased support for Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers. These are program-plan investments, and the plan’s year labels matter when interpreting the timing of individual components.

Early care and education administrators and child care site owners are directed to First 5’s funding opportunities information to review potential access to Measure C funds. The five-year plan explains the investment framework; individual funding opportunities provide the relevant program information. A plan’s funding total or estimated reach should not be treated as an individual award or an assurance of eligibility.

Kindergarten Readiness and Community Data

First 5’s kindergarten readiness information explains how it uses assessment findings to guide early childhood investments. Its stated focus includes the social, behavioral, and literacy skills that help children begin school prepared to learn.

The agency describes the Early Development Instrument, or EDI, as a tool for measuring children’s health, well-being, and school readiness. It provides census-tract-level information to help identify where supports are working and where future resources should be directed.

This assessment work also examines how child care, preschool, and transitional kindergarten support children from birth through age 5. First 5 works with school districts, parents, and child care providers to share findings and plan improvements.

Department and Office Contacts

First 5 Alameda County
1115 Atlantic Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
510.227.6900
Help Me Grow
(888) 510-1211
First 5 Helpdesk
(510) 227-6929

First 5 Alameda County FAQs

Are family materials available in other languages?

Yes. First 5 Alameda County’s Help Me Grow program page lists downloadable materials in English, Spanish, and Chinese, including the “12 Things” booklet, developmental screening postcards, and program brochures. Look under the download section for your preferred language and select the specific document you need. The Alameda Kids Resource Directory also provides information in English, Spanish, and Chinese. These listed options apply to those materials and the directory; they do not establish that every document on First 5’s website is available in all three languages.

How can I find activities for my child?

The Help Me Grow page includes a Family Events & Activities calendar for playdates, educational workshops, and community gatherings. Use the calendar when you want a scheduled activity rather than an ongoing service. For continuing support, the Alameda Kids Resource Directory lets you search by service type, children’s ages, languages spoken, and other criteria. Check the individual entry’s age range and participation details before making plans, and revisit the calendar for newly added activities.

How can providers share local program updates?

Help Me Grow offers two ways for early childhood providers to stay connected. Connection Cafés take place every other month and provide opportunities to exchange information, learn about resources, and hear speakers discuss relevant topics. The Help Me Grow listserv is distributed twice monthly and carries information about local programs, events, and trainings. Partners can also post program and event announcements. Choose the listserv for distributing updates and Connection Cafés for discussion and professional networking.

Who advises First 5 on Measure C spending?

An 11-member volunteer Community Advisory Council provides recommendations and program design guidance for the Child Care, Preschool, and Early Education account. Members are appointed by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the county’s Early Care & Education Planning Council according to the experience required for designated seats. The official Measure C information page includes a council information link for readers who want to understand this advisory role and how recommendations inform funding decisions.