San Francisco

Project Description:

The San Francisco Starting Points Initiative is an early childhood planning initiative located in the Mayor's Office of Children, Youth and Their Families. The mission of the San Francisco Starting Points Initiative is to improve the lives of young children and their families in San Francisco through:

• Increased public and private funding for services for young children
• A more comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system to provide improved services for young children and their families
• Improved planning to meet young children's needs now and in the future

In order to address the challenges facing San Francisco's early childhood service delivery system, Starting Points has established the Early Childhood Interagency Council (ECIC). The ECIC is composed of twenty-six members and is the decision-making body for Starting Points. ECIC membership includes representatives of the city departments, San Francisco Unified School District, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, local private foundations, direct service providers, advocacy groups, and parents. Many ECIC members also participate in other San Francisco planning initiatives.

The goal of the San Francisco Starting Points Initiative is to develop and implement a citywide strategic plan focused on improving services for young children (0-5) and their families. Starting Points activities include:

• Conducting a needs assessment and comprehensive fiscal analysis of programs and services for young children
• Developing program and policy recommendations to support improved services for young children
• Building collaborations among San Francisco's extensive and fragmented early childhood community to better support young children and their families
• Developing and coordinating a training plan to ensure that all service providers working with children (0 to 5) and their families share a basic understanding of early childhood issues
• Support for direct service strategies that most effectively meet the needs of young children and their families
• Participation in national and local public engagement and education campaigns to promote awareness of the importance of early childhood.

The San Francisco Starting Points Initiative is one of fourteen national Starting Points projects supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Starting Points staff consists of a project director, fiscal policy analyst, program planner, planning associate, and project assistant.

Contact:

Lisa Klee Mihaly
Director
San Francisco Starting Points Initiative
Mayor's Office of Children, Youth and Their Families
1390 Market Street
Suite 918
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415/554-8427, Fax: 415/554-8965
E-mail: lisa@mocyf.org

Starting Points Web: http://www.carnegie.org/startingpoints
Starting Points E-mail: startingpoints@carnegie.org