East County First 5 Center: One Year Celebration Photo
Over the weekend, Contra Costa County leaders and families gathered to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Lincoln Families operating the East County First 5 Center. The day was filled with celebration, joy, and activities for families and children including art workshops, face painting, toy giveaways.
“It fills our hearts with joy and this is a proud moment for us to be celebrating with our partners, Lincoln Families,” says Ruth Fernandez, Ed.D., Executive Director at First 5 Contra Costa. “Together, we bring the best of our resources and staff to meet the needs of families in East County. We are excited and appreciative of the work being done to create a space where families feel like they belong. This work is not done alone, it is done in collaboration through community partnerships as well as our deep relationships with families and we are thankful for the ongoing commitment to help all children thrive.”
The East County First Center, run in partnership with Lincoln Families—a local non-profit with roots in Contra Costa and Alameda County, continues to make a difference in the lives of families with young children at a critical age. The completely free services for the community include group classes, playgroups, school readiness activities, support groups, and one-on-one assistance connecting to community services.
“It has been a decades-long dream to do this early childhood work in Contra Costa, and we are thrilled to be partnering with First 5.” shared Alison Becwar, President & CEO, Lincoln Families. “It is astonishing what our team has been able to accomplish in our first year. The outcomes that we are already hearing from families is phenomenal with 96% of families feeling a sense of belonging and 99% recommending the program to other families—and that only happens if you have a stellar team who are deeply committed and show up every day with integrity and intention.”
East County First 5 Center Staff
The East County First 5 Center is located at 355 E. Leland Rd., Pittsburg, CA 94565 and is a family resource center for moms, dads, grandparents or other adult caregivers and their children from birth to age 5. It is a place for everyone in a child’s life! Click here to learn more about activities and upcoming events.
Our work is done in partnership with others.
Since 1883, Lincoln Families have strived to disrupt cycles of poverty and trauma, empowering children and families to build strong futures by providing children with support and services as early as possible. In their first year of operating the East County First 5 Center, their commitment to providing a continuum of preventative, responsive, and intensive support services to improve outcomes for children and families has shown up in multiple ways in their daily efforts—in full partnership with DeeAnna Granata, East County First 5 Center Executive Director and staff—to provide support and services for families with young children in East County.
(Left) Steve Lesher, Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation President, and Gareth Ashley, First 5 Contra Costa Commissioner (Right) Chris Nguon, Associate Director of Community-Based Grant Funded Programs Lincoln Families, and Kenneth Kuchman, Executive Director at Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation
In attendance was the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, including Steve Lesher, President and Devorah Levine, Executive Director. Fresh off celebrating 30 years Rooted in Community, the Lesher Foundation continues their commitment to listening and supporting the community through efforts in partnership with First 5 Contra Costa.
The Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation was also represented by Ken Kuchman, Executive Director. Their mission to support effective non-profit organizations that assist children in the Bay Area, including Contra Costa County, is accomplished, well recognized and appreciated.
Tandem, Partners in Early Education and the Contra Costa Library were also on site with information on early childhood education resources along with gifts for families. Over the years, both of these partnerships have continued to provide services and resources to benefit families with young children across the county and with our multiple First 5 Center locations.