First 5 Alameda County is committed to being an equity-centered, anti-racist, and anti-classist organization. We recognize that we operate in a racialized economic system characterized by extractive and exploitative labor practices and public policies perpetuating long-standing disparate life outcomes. To this end, we use anti-racist and equity-based practices to invest in and support children, families, and neighborhoods. Our Place, People, Policy framework intentionally prioritizes our investments in communities that have experienced historic and systemic racism and disinvestment. 

As a part of this commitment, we use our resources to redress (to set right) these injustices by:  

  • Celebrating Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) cultures and honoring their assets, values, and needs by ensuring investments, programs, data, and policy work is directed by and reflects the richness and needs of these communities. 
  • Prioritizing the needs of low-to-moderate-income families and neighborhoods with historical disinvestment.
  • Addressing root causes through the administration of public funds, advocacy, and operationalization of public policy.
  • Interrupting inequities that impact the conditions needed for kindergarten readiness.
  • Ensuring that our investments, policies, practices, and agency culture are aligned with our equity principles.

We acknowledge that our unconscious and conscious bias impacts our practices. Therefore, we are committed to deepening our understanding of how power, wealth, and opportunity imbalances appear in policies, communities, organizations, and interpersonal relationships. We can only do this as lifelong learners with a growth mindset focused on transformative change. 

We commit to continuous improvement and to hold ourselves accountable to operationalize this statement and our principles.

In addition to our co-created Equity Statement, we are adopting the “Guiding Principles for Federal Action on Racial Equity” developed by national leaders PolicyLink and Race Forward to further articulate our intentions. The statement and principles are consistent with our systems approach and will be operationalized into each of our strategies.