In January of 2019, the Prevention Cabinet of the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP), and Strategies 2.0 co-hosted the Prevention Summit. The purpose of the Prevention Summit was to develop or strengthen a public-private partnership for strengthening families, begin or strengthen a countywide prevention plan, and commit to an ongoing collaborative process with clear action steps. Participants from 22 counties from across the state attended.

Since attending the January Prevention Summit, one attendee group, San Diego County, named the “Pursuit of Happiness Team,” has worked diligently on their vision to “Build the capacity of providers and caregivers to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of children ages 0-5 in order to support their engagement in and ongoing success in formal and informal early care and education settings.”

This multidisciplinary team created and released the above infographic promoting strengthening families and prevention to support caregivers and other adults, to ensure that children are healthy, safe, and thriving. In addition, on June 20, 2019, the San Diego County group hosted “Strengthening Families: A Community Conversation” with over 40 stakeholders to discuss early childhood education, specifically, the lack of early education provider support and how access to quality early care and education is considered a critical protective factor for those impacted by poverty, trauma, and other adverse experiences.

San Diego County collected valuable feedback and will use this to continue to refine their action plan and add additional partners as they move forward in pursuit of their goals. Way to go San Diego!

To learn more about the Prevention Summit and the prevention work taking place at other counties, please visit this link: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/OCAP.