Loaves & Fishes, 150 2nd St, Watsonville, CA 95076, US

FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, based in San Jose, Calif., operates an early childhood development program that promotes, supports and improves development for children upto 5-years-old. Founded in 2000, it focuses on building the organization, establishing strong community partnerships, and increasing awareness of the importance of the first five years of a child s life. It concentrates its efforts on school readiness with an emphasis on quality health care, family support, early care and education, and strong communities. The investment is in critical programs, such as Children s Health Initiative, Early Learning Initiative and Preschool for All programs, which will enable more than 7,000 children to enter preschool, who otherwise may not have been able to do so. FIRST 5 Santa Clara County s main source of funding is the revenues allocated to it by the local county commission to fund local initiatives, and these revenues originate from the tax on tobacco products.