Santa Clara County System of Care (visit site)
As a partner in FIRST 5 Santa Clara County’s System of Care, Choices for Children participates in a network of coordinated and integrated partnerships, services and activities aimed at improving the lives of children prenatal through age 5. FIRST 5 funds are used to enhance and fill in the gaps in services so that there is a seamless system for families and children in the County. The primary goal of this System of Care is to ensure that all levels of the community are engaged in and educated about the importance of the first five years, ultimately making young children their highest priority.

North East Community Partnership
Through the System of Care, Choices for Children acts as Lead Agency in the North East Community Partnership, which encompasses 7 zip codes representing the City of Milpitas and several neighborhoods in San José: Alviso, Berryessa, Orchard, and north San José. Geographically, this region is very diverse spanning from the north end of Santa Clara County border to the City of Milpitas, Alviso, and the Orchard community in north San José. There are three school districts within the Region: Berryessa Union, Milpitas Unified, and Orchard. The approximate population size of the region is 167,000, of which over 12,000 are children through age 5. This is one of the more diverse regions representative of Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, African American, and Latino populations.  Zip Codes: 95002, 95035, 95131, 95132, 95133, 95134, 95140 Targeted Neighborhoods for Networks: Rancho Verde, McKee

Choices for Children Contact:                                          FIRST 5 Santa Clara Contact:
Luisa Linares, Program Coordinator                                  Joanne Seavey-Hultquist, Program Specialist
408-297-3295 x271; llinares@choices4children.org            408-260-3720

Services funded by FIRST 5 in the North East include:

1. Family Partner Services provided by Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
2. Parent Workshops Services provided by:
   - Choices for Children
   - Parents Helping Parents
3. KidConnections: Childhood Developmental Assessment Services
4. Therapeutic (Counseling ) Services
5. Home Visitation Services
6. FIRST 5 County-Wide Services
7. Community Engagement & Education Services are provided by the following agencies:
   - Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
   - Eastern European Services Agency
   - International Children Assistance Network (ICAN>
   - Bring Me a Book Foundation

FIRST 5 Community Partnerships

Choices for Children also implements Parent Education and/or Quality Early Learning Opportunities through many of the FIRST 5 Santa Clara Regional Partnerships.  Contact Barbara Kasnic, Program Manager, at 297-3295 x246, or email barbara@choices4children.org, for more information.