Anaheim is Second City to Join First 5 Orange County’s Early Childhood Friendly City Initiative
City of Anaheim is the second municipality to adopt an Early Childhood Friendly City resolution; the initiative focuses on building stronger communities for young children and families.
SANTA ANA, Calif. – June 25, 2025 – The City of Anaheim has joined First 5 Orange County’s Early Childhood Friendly City Initiative and is the second municipality to unanimously approve its resolution.
This groundbreaking effort is designed to help cities create neighborhoods and communities where young children and their families can thrive. The initiative provides cities with the data, early childhood expertise, and partnership needed to prioritize early childhood development in education, health, housing, and community services — laying the foundation for stronger, healthier communities.
“We are thrilled that Anaheim has adopted an Early Childhood Friendly Cities resolution,” said Kim Goll, President and CEO of First 5 Orange County. “Anaheim has many programs that support young children and their families, and children are reaping the benefits of having empowered families, access to resources, and quality programs.”
The City of La Habra led the way as the first municipality to officially join the initiative.
By engaging and supporting young children and their families as early as possible, cities can set them up for a lifetime of success. The Anaheim City Council unanimously passed the resolution affirming its commitment to nurturing and supporting young children and their families.
“This (resolution) will help leverage and align resources to create new space and opportunity for organizations and individuals to imagine new and sustainable solutions where every child in Anaheim can reach their full potential. If a child succeeds, our whole community succeeds,” said Anaheim City Council member Kristen Maahs.
Established in 2014, Network Anaheim: Learn Well was First 5 Orange County’s second Engaged Neighborhood. The group has empowered families to advocate on behalf of their young children and provides families with early childhood. Learn Well recently convened a group of mothers (Madres Activas de Miraloma, MAdM) who are working to improve child development in their communities. The group holds weekly Kid Builders sessions called Creciendo Juntos (Growing Together) for parents and children.
“That collaboration of, I believe, 90 different nonprofits and organizations is incredible and it’s unique to Anaheim,” Maahs said.
The MAdM participate in Anaheim’s leadership programs, including Parent Leadership Institute (PLI), OC Healthcare Agency’s Champions, and Neighborhood Councils to advocate for systemic change on behalf of early childhood.
The City of Anaheim also provides a range of programs and community resources that help foster early childhood development, including the Tiny Tots Academy for children ages 3 to 5. In addition, the Anaheim Public Library offers early literacy support and holds story times for children age 0 to 5, sensory story time for neurodivergent children, bilingual story times in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
By prioritizing early childhood development, cities can shape a future where families are supported, communities are strengthened, and children are given the best possible start in life.
