First 5 Ventura County and Interface Children & Family Services announce Neighborhoods for Learning
July 26, 2019
(VENTURA, CA) –– July 10, 2019 –– First 5 Ventura County (F5VC) is pleased to join Interface
Children & Family Services (ICFS) in announcing 13 Neighborhoods for Learning (NfL) locations
scheduled to open in late August. Services will be provided across the county with locations in
Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks,
and Ventura. The sites will help provide essential learning opportunities and services for Ventura
County’s nearly 60,000 children prenatal – 5 and their families.
This announcement marks another milestone achieved as part of F5VC’s newly redesigned NfL
model. First 5 Ventura County will be investing $2.9 million annually in the First 5 Neighborhoods
for Learning, powered by Interface, with classes beginning in late August and early September
2019.
“We are committed to continue delivering Parent and Child Together (PACT) Classes and family
support services throughout the county and in neighborhoods where our most vulnerable families
and young children reside,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “Together
with ICFS, we have thoroughly reviewed and selected 13 easily accessible locations to serve as
neighborhood hubs for early learning and family support services. Many of the sites are in familiar
locations, like schools.”
The centrally located NfL locations will offer programs including Parent and Child Together (PACT)
classes to help parents and caregivers enhance their knowledge of child development and positive
parenting practices to support their children’s learning and development. Parent education classes
provide a venue for parents to connect with peers and benefit from social support. Families will also
have access to developmental screenings, assistance with care coordination and referral to
services such as housing, dental, and Cal Fresh programs.
"We're excited to partner with F5VC in establishing these prime NfL locations,” said Interface
Executive Director Erik Sternad. “The carefully selected NfL sites will allow us to work
collaboratively to ensure our Ventura County children and families are served in the best and most
cost-effective manner possible.”
The award winning First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning were founded nearly 20 years ago with the
understanding that parents and caregivers are the foundation of children's well-being and healthy
development. Years of research confirms that a child’s brain develops faster from birth to age three
than at any other later period in life, building the foundation for a child's future learning, behavior, and health.
“A child’s experiences in the first three years are the bricks and mortar of brain development, which is why
we’ve updated the NfL model and placed an even greater emphasis onPACT classes” remarked Elizabeth
Majestic, Pritzker Fellow and First 5 Director of Neighborhoodsfor Learning.
“To help us best serve the families with young children, F5VC and ICFS will be hosting a series of
local open house events in early August offering opportunities for parents to enroll in classes and
engage with the community,” said Puls. “We hope our neighbors will come out and explore all we
have to offer and meet our NfL staff.”
The first of these events will be on Tuesday, August 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Justin Early
Learner Academy in Simi Valley and Sespe Elementary in Fillmore. All those interested in joining
the F5VC and ICFS family to learn more about classes and programs are encouraged to drop by.
Additional locations will be announced in the next few weeks. To view a current list of locations and
open house opportunities, please visit www.First5Ventura.org
About First 5 Ventura County
Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what
parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a significant
impact throughout life. Based on this research, First 5 Ventura County was created by voters in
1998 to invest Ventura County’s allocation of funds from California’s voter-approved Proposition 10
tax 50 cents-per-pack tax on tobacco. F5VC invests these revenues in programs and services for
children prenatal - 5 that support children’s health, early learning, and strong families, including our
nationally recognized Neighborhoods for Learning (NfLs).
First 5 Ventura County knows that improving the life trajectory of our youngest children will not be
the product of Prop 10 funds alone, which now average $160 per child under the age of 5 in each
county. Changing systems and policies to prioritize children at the earliest moments in their lives is
what’s required to help all children have the best start possible in life.
About Interface Children & Family Services
Interface is Ventura County’s leading nonprofit social services agency, providing free, proven, and
responsive services to address the complex physical and emotional needs of 59,000 local clients
every year. Its 30 programs utilize 10 evidence-based practices to serve children, teens, adults and
families who are typically low-income and struggling with poverty, domestic violence, human
trafficking, homelessness, incarceration, child abuse, neglect and abandonment. Interface also
connects 150,000 clients per year to a vast network of health and human services in 19 counties
through its 2-1-1 Information and Referral program.
Interface’s core program areas are Mental Health and Trauma Treatment, Domestic Violence
Intervention and Child Abuse Prevention, Youth Crisis and Homeless Services, Human Trafficking
Intervention, Reentry Services, Early Childhood Family Development, and 2-1-1 information and
referral. The agency has pioneered several programs including launching California’s first 2-1-1 call
center, initiated Ventura County’s Pay for Success Program, and was one of the first agencies in
the state to open a domestic violence shelter. Recently, Interface opened the only human trafficking
shelter for adults, and is the only provider of child abuse treatment in the region. The agency
operates out of five main locations including Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Santa Paula and
Thousand Oaks, and soon, will be providing early education and parent support at an additional
thirteen First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning Powered by Interface sites. For more information,
please contact Catherine L. Kort at ckort@icfs.org or (805) 206-8663.
Children & Family Services (ICFS) in announcing 13 Neighborhoods for Learning (NfL) locations
scheduled to open in late August. Services will be provided across the county with locations in
Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks,
and Ventura. The sites will help provide essential learning opportunities and services for Ventura
County’s nearly 60,000 children prenatal – 5 and their families.
This announcement marks another milestone achieved as part of F5VC’s newly redesigned NfL
model. First 5 Ventura County will be investing $2.9 million annually in the First 5 Neighborhoods
for Learning, powered by Interface, with classes beginning in late August and early September
2019.
“We are committed to continue delivering Parent and Child Together (PACT) Classes and family
support services throughout the county and in neighborhoods where our most vulnerable families
and young children reside,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “Together
with ICFS, we have thoroughly reviewed and selected 13 easily accessible locations to serve as
neighborhood hubs for early learning and family support services. Many of the sites are in familiar
locations, like schools.”
The centrally located NfL locations will offer programs including Parent and Child Together (PACT)
classes to help parents and caregivers enhance their knowledge of child development and positive
parenting practices to support their children’s learning and development. Parent education classes
provide a venue for parents to connect with peers and benefit from social support. Families will also
have access to developmental screenings, assistance with care coordination and referral to
services such as housing, dental, and Cal Fresh programs.
"We're excited to partner with F5VC in establishing these prime NfL locations,” said Interface
Executive Director Erik Sternad. “The carefully selected NfL sites will allow us to work
collaboratively to ensure our Ventura County children and families are served in the best and most
cost-effective manner possible.”
The award winning First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning were founded nearly 20 years ago with the
understanding that parents and caregivers are the foundation of children's well-being and healthy
development. Years of research confirms that a child’s brain develops faster from birth to age three
than at any other later period in life, building the foundation for a child's future learning, behavior, and health.
“A child’s experiences in the first three years are the bricks and mortar of brain development, which is why
we’ve updated the NfL model and placed an even greater emphasis onPACT classes” remarked Elizabeth
Majestic, Pritzker Fellow and First 5 Director of Neighborhoodsfor Learning.
“To help us best serve the families with young children, F5VC and ICFS will be hosting a series of
local open house events in early August offering opportunities for parents to enroll in classes and
engage with the community,” said Puls. “We hope our neighbors will come out and explore all we
have to offer and meet our NfL staff.”
The first of these events will be on Tuesday, August 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Justin Early
Learner Academy in Simi Valley and Sespe Elementary in Fillmore. All those interested in joining
the F5VC and ICFS family to learn more about classes and programs are encouraged to drop by.
Additional locations will be announced in the next few weeks. To view a current list of locations and
open house opportunities, please visit www.First5Ventura.org
About First 5 Ventura County
Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what
parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a significant
impact throughout life. Based on this research, First 5 Ventura County was created by voters in
1998 to invest Ventura County’s allocation of funds from California’s voter-approved Proposition 10
tax 50 cents-per-pack tax on tobacco. F5VC invests these revenues in programs and services for
children prenatal - 5 that support children’s health, early learning, and strong families, including our
nationally recognized Neighborhoods for Learning (NfLs).
First 5 Ventura County knows that improving the life trajectory of our youngest children will not be
the product of Prop 10 funds alone, which now average $160 per child under the age of 5 in each
county. Changing systems and policies to prioritize children at the earliest moments in their lives is
what’s required to help all children have the best start possible in life.
About Interface Children & Family Services
Interface is Ventura County’s leading nonprofit social services agency, providing free, proven, and
responsive services to address the complex physical and emotional needs of 59,000 local clients
every year. Its 30 programs utilize 10 evidence-based practices to serve children, teens, adults and
families who are typically low-income and struggling with poverty, domestic violence, human
trafficking, homelessness, incarceration, child abuse, neglect and abandonment. Interface also
connects 150,000 clients per year to a vast network of health and human services in 19 counties
through its 2-1-1 Information and Referral program.
Interface’s core program areas are Mental Health and Trauma Treatment, Domestic Violence
Intervention and Child Abuse Prevention, Youth Crisis and Homeless Services, Human Trafficking
Intervention, Reentry Services, Early Childhood Family Development, and 2-1-1 information and
referral. The agency has pioneered several programs including launching California’s first 2-1-1 call
center, initiated Ventura County’s Pay for Success Program, and was one of the first agencies in
the state to open a domestic violence shelter. Recently, Interface opened the only human trafficking
shelter for adults, and is the only provider of child abuse treatment in the region. The agency
operates out of five main locations including Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Santa Paula and
Thousand Oaks, and soon, will be providing early education and parent support at an additional
thirteen First 5 Neighborhoods for Learning Powered by Interface sites. For more information,
please contact Catherine L. Kort at ckort@icfs.org or (805) 206-8663.
