First 5 gives preschoolers a head start on kindergarten

Moving from Hawaii to Pleasant Valley meant that Amy Bernhardt had to leave her family and friends behind. This transition was challenging, especially when it came to looking for advice on how to raise her 3-year-old son, Dante. She tried to talk with her sister about it, but her sister’s boys were already teenagers. 

Bernhardt decided to visit a nearby park to meet other mothers. It was there another mother told her about an organization that could help—First 5.

“I was told to visit my local Neighborhood for Learning,” Bernhardt said, referring to one of First 5 Ventura County’s school readiness centers.

“Seeing all that was offered on my first visit, I knew Dante and I would be back,” she said.

First 5 Ventura County has invested in 11 learning centers countywide, bringing services to local communities to help children thrive.

Designed as communitybased collaboratives, the centers help provide children with the skills they need to enter school learning and ready to succeed. Each site is unique to best serve its community and reach underserved populations. Bernhardt began taking

Dante to Pleasant Valley’s center three days a week. Together, they participated in the site’s “Learning Time” program, which engages children and parents in creative, age-appropriate learning activities to encourage early literacy.

During “PreK Fun,” activities such as puppet theatre and music and movement helped Dante learn essential skills. Bernhardt received further support in her role as Dante’s most important teacher by attending monthly parent education classes that focused on answers to parent-generated questions. As the time grew closer for Dante to enter kindergarten, Bernhardt was confident that both she and Dante would be ready.

When Dante entered his kindergarten class in September, he was well prepared. Because of the time he spent weekly at First 5 Ventura County’s center, he was familiar with a classroom environment, could follow directions easily and had a head start on all the critical early learning skills.

“He was so eager to enter kindergarten,” Bernhardt said. “His teacher told me she could tell the difference between Dante and the students who hadn’t participated in school

readiness programs. First 5 Ventura County helped me ensure my son had a positive start on his first day of school.” 

“Dante is just one of the many Ventura County children helped every day by our 11 Neighborhoods for Learning,” said Robert Fraisse, chair of the First 5 Ventura County Commission. “The work of the centers has helped to significantly increase the number of children ready for kindergarten as assessed by the Desired Results Developmental Profile.”

The success behind First 5 Ventura County’s learning program is only one example of the great work being done statewide by County Commissions and First 5 California. Such collaboration is critical to reaching families like the Bernhardts. Recently, a multiyear report showed that more and more parents and caregivers are utilizing First 5 California programs locally through their County Commissions to help ensure more children enter school healthy and ready to learn.

Data collected by SRI International confirmed positive strides made since 2002-2003 in the area of school readiness. In fact, since First 5 California’s inception, more than 2 million children and their families have benefited from direct school readiness services.

“We’ve formed strong partnerships with all 58 county commissions to help more children benefit from school readiness experiences,” said Kris Perry,

the program’s executive director. “By working together with First 5 Ventura County, we are helping our children improve their chances at reaching their highest potential in school and in life.”