​In May 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to expand the scope and purpose of the TbT Fund to Thrive by 5 (Tb5). This created greater consistency and opportunities for alignment with other early childhood initiatives and funding streams. Since that time First 5 and its Thrive by 5 partners have:

• Adopted a Thrive by 5 theory of change (see below) that articulates a shared vision of thriving children and families in a resilient, just community and acknowledges that achieving this requires addressing the root causes of the “Pair of ACEs,” or Adverse Childhood Experiences that occur in Adverse Community Environments, a concept originally developed by the Center for Community Resilience at The Geoge Washington University (https://ccr.publichealth.gwu.edu/).

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• Expanded the Thrive by 5 Advisory Committee’s membership to include people or agencies representing CORE Conditions for Health and Well-Being not previously represented on the committee (e.g., Healthy Environments, and Community Connectedness). In addition, four seats on the Advisory Committee were added specifically for Parent Leaders with young children.

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• Expanded the Thrive by 5 Community-Level outcomes and indicators and aligned them with the CORE Conditions for Health and Well-being to provide a more cohesive strategic framework for the Thrive by 5 initiative.

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• Convened four meetings per year of the Thrive by 5 Advisory Committee focusing on key topics, including updates on the Nurse Family Partnership program as well as implementation of the HealthySteps program within Santa Cruz Community Health and Salud Para La Gente. The Committee also continued to provide oversight and guidance to a multi-year effort to develop a Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis of early childhood systems in Santa Cruz County focused on home visiting and early care and education.

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• Continued to convene the Learning Collaborative sessions for Thrive by 5 partners, focused on a range of topics including Motivational Interviewing; oral health and coordinated entry into local housing programs; nutrition for families; support for families with children with disabilities; and intimate partner violence.

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• Continued to convene a Coordinated Entry Workgroup focused on supporting and enhancing the process of referring CalWORKs participants to the four home visiting programs in Santa Cruz County.

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• Enrolled 356 families of children from prenatal to age 5 in one of four home visiting programs in the County (Nurse Family Partnership, Field Nursing, Families Together, or Early Head Start Home Visiting).

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• Continued to support integration, growth, and improvement of the HealthySteps program within the Thrive by 5 system of care. HealthySteps is an interdisciplinary, evidence-based pediatric primary care program that served 3,029 children in FY 2023-24 at Salud Para La Gente and Santa Cruz Community Health clinics.

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• Delivered Early Learning Scholarships (ELS) to 114 infant and toddler care providers serving families who are eligible for state child care subsidies. The ELS are designed to help providers close the gap between the high cost of quality care and subsidies provided by the State of California.