That the City Council APPROVE AND ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. CC 2025-__ ENTITLED:  A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING THE CITY AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD FRIENDLY CITY AFFIRMING THE CITY'S DEDICATION AND PARTNERSHIP WITH FIRST 5 ORANGE COUNTY IN FOSTERING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERY CHILD CAN THRIVE AND REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.

Beginning in 2017, the City of La Habra's Child Development Division has collaborated with First Five Orange County, the La Habra City School District, and the Lowell Joint School District's early learning programs to develop programming and support for early childhood development. From these partnerships, as well as the City-operated grant-funded early childhood programs such as the State Preschool, Family Child Care, and the previous Early Head Start program, the City has remained steadfast in its dedication to the improvement of developmental outcomes for local children.

The University of California, Los Angeles maintains an Early Development Index which tracks the development of children through physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills and general knowledge. Through this index, the City has observed improvements in all five measured outcomes over the past seven years due, in large part, to the efforts of these City-operated programs and joint collaborations that provide local residents and their children with additional programming and resources.

The Community Services Department is proposing adoption of the attached resolution to reflect the City's commitment to supporting early childhood education, and taking active steps to improve social, educational, and physical outcomes of young children. If approved by Council, the resolution affirms the same values as the National League of Cities’ Early Learning Nation Initiative, First 5, as well as the County of Orange. Furthermore, by adopting this resolution, the City will be eligible to receive future guidance, resources, and collaboration with other organizations that serve the same goal of supporting early childhood development in the region.