LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This year marks the 15th anniversary of First 5 in Lake County.

The anniversary offers the opportunity to celebrate young children and remember what a difference we can make in their lives.

First 5 Lake funds local programs that educate parents, grandparents, caregivers and teachers about the critical role they play during a child’s first 5 years.

Here in Lake County, First 5 Lake provides matching funds to support the Steps to Quality Program with the CARES Plus grant, a quality improvement/leadership development program for Lake County’s early childhood educators.

The Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) Program is First 5 California's Teacher Signature program.

Launched in 2000, CARES Plus serves as a way to increase teacher/child interactions and retain the highest qualified early education teachers, therefore increasing the quality of student education.

Researchers, educators and economists agree that early childhood development drives success in school and life.

A critical time to shape productivity is from birth to age five, when the brain develops rapidly to build the foundation of cognitive and character skills necessary for success in school, health, career and life.

Early childhood education fosters cognitive skills along with attentiveness, motivation, self-control and social ability – the character skills that turn knowledge into know-how and people into productive citizens.

First 5 Lake’s investment in early childhood education is a significant contributor to a strong and positive future for Lake County.

In Lake County the CARES Plus grant is focused on the Steps to Quality program, which is dedicated to increasing the quality of early learning programs for children ages 0 to 5 and their families.

Those aims are accomplished by supporting the early childhood educators in pursuing higher education, quality professional growth, and providing focused mentoring and coaching to improve the quality of the care and education provided to young children in Lake County.

Over the past decade, First 5 Lake has assisted hundreds of early childhood educators in continuing both their education and professional growth.

For more information on Steps to Quality visit www.lakecountychildcareplanning.com or call 707-262-4162.