Home / Families
For parents & caregivers
Everything your family needs, from pregnancy to kindergarten
Free activities, health check-ups, play groups and support at home, in the languages Orange County families speak.
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What would help most right now?
🧩 Ideas to play and learn today
Kid Builders activities for your child's age
🩺 Is my child on track?
Well-child visits and free developmental screenings
🏡 Support for new and expecting parents
Home visiting, in eight languages
Play & learn
Getting ready for school starts with play
Learning Links
A drop-in program for children from infancy to age 5 and their parent or caregiver. Children meet other children, and caregivers learn new ways to play with help from a qualified preschool teacher.
Find a Learning Link →Getting ready for kindergarten
Tips and information to help your child get ready for their kindergarten school experience. English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Download the guide →Kindergarten readiness toolkit
Activities built with data and insights from the Early Development Index, to support your child's development before kindergarten.
Download the toolkit →Health & development
Well-child visits: earlier is better
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 11 well visits between birth and 2½ years, with developmental screenings at 9, 18 and 30 months. Screenings check milestones, social behaviour and learning, so that if your child needs extra support, they get it early.
Support at home
Home visiting for new and expecting parents
Home visiting matches parents with trained professionals who provide one-on-one parenting and health education, and connect families to community resources. First 5 OC-funded programs provide more than 9,000 home visits a year, in eight of the most common languages spoken in Orange County.
Family Ambassadors
Parents who shape First 5 OC's programs, lead community events and bring families' voices to Board meetings.
OC Fatherhood Coalition
Bringing fathers to the table on early childhood since 2022.
Engaged Neighborhoods
Parents and local organizations connecting families to support, from pregnancy through the start of school.
Events
Come and see us
Filter by city, age and language in the production site (The Events Calendar, carried across).
- Sep22TueDetails
Ready to Learn
11:00 am · The Village
- Sep24ThuDetails
Grant Writing Made Simple for Child Care Providers
6:30 pm · For providers
- Oct10SatDetails
Family Health Fair
9:00 am · Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living