First 5 Strategic Plan Reviews

In order to support the county commissions in planning effectively to allocate their First 5 dollars, the First 5 California Children and Families Commission contracted with CHCFC to provide county commissions with an objective, expert review of their strategic plans. These plan reviews are designed to help commissions evaluate their current strategic plans and ensure that future plans include strategic funding allocations that are responsive to community needs and are likely to result in desired outcomes. The framework for the review is the county-level strategic planning guide From Resources to Results: A Guide to Prop 10 Strategic Planning and Implementation, developed by the CHCFC in collaboration with staff from the Center for Health Improvement (CHI) Technical Assistance Center, Children and Family Futures, and the USC School of Social Work; and the community-level strategic planning guide From Resources to Results in Your Neighborhood: A Workbook for Improving the Lives of Children and Families. The review is based on extensive interviews with planning staff, commissioners, and community representatives, as well as a thorough review of documentation including the plan itself. The end result is a written and/or oral report to the county commission that includes a thorough assessment of their current plan and recommendations for future work.