A. First 5 Sacramento Strategic Planning Process & Overall Funding Approach First 5 Sacramento's vision is that Sacramento County will have strong communities where children are safe, healthy, and reach their full potential. To this end, First 5 uses tobacco tax revenue through Proposition 10 to support early childhood development through advocacy, systems improvement, and by funding a range of essential prevention and early intervention programs for Sacramento County children ages 0 to 5 and their families. The First 5 Commission has laid out its foundational belief and core truth that racism, not race, is the root of health and early learning disparities. The Commission's efforts focus on Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Cultural Responsiveness (REDI +CR) to ensure we, and our partners, are equitably meeting the needs of Sacramento County's children and families. The First 5 Sacramento Commission routinely engages in a Strategic Planning process to determine community needs, assets, and gaps where the Commission may be able to have an impact in ensuring children have the best start in life. The 2024 - 2034 Strategic Plan, which was approved on April 4, 2023, identifies five priorities for investment for Fiscal Years 2024-25 through 2033-34. The entire strategic planning process was designed to center racial equity, to be highly inclusive, and to be data informed. Subsequently, Commission staff expanded on the Strategic Plan by developing a 2024 Implementation Plan , which was approved on June 5, 2023, followed by a 2027 Implementation Plan , which was approved on June 1, 2026. All of these plans are available on the Commission's website at first5sacramento.saccounty.gov . The Implementation Plan provides a roadmap for funding. It includes detail regarding funded strategies, the primary population to be served, the funding mechanism, and the three-year allocation for each strategy. Within this roadmap, each strategy indicates a funding process. This funding opportunity is a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) that allows for the submission of proposals detailing proposed services and a budget. Competitive RFPs enable the Commission to seek out qualified proposers that can provide effective services to identified populations using evidence-based, best, and promising practices. B. Background on this Funding Opportunity The funding for this competitive RFP is focused on Strategy 2E – Developmental Playgroups for Children with Exceptional Needs: Developmental playgroups in community settings for children with exceptional needs ages 0 – 5 and their parents / caregivers. First 5 Sacramento centered parent and caregiver voices in the development of our 2024-2034 Strategic Plan. Through surveys and focus groups, parents told us that developmental playgroups specifically designed for children with exceptional needs and their parents / caregivers was a top desire. They also requested that playgroup leaders have expertise in working with young children with exceptional needs. An environmental scan of programs available in Sacramento County showed that no such in-person opportunities existed in 2023. Parents of children with exceptional needs told us that they had often experienced reaching out to a program to ascertain if the needs of their children could be accommodated and hearing that they were welcome. However, upon arrival, they would discover that the leader had no expertise in working with children like theirs. The playgroup leaders were unable to integrate these children into the activities or to help typically developing children and their families welcome and interact with them. Parents of children with exceptional needs told us they would like to have an opportunity to experience group interactions with their children designed specifically for them. They also told us they would like the opportunity to connect with other families raising children with exceptional needs. In the 2024-27 Implementation Plan period, a contract for the provision of developmental playgroups was awarded to UC Davis MIND Institute; they have successfully carried out these playgroups beginning in the fall of 2024 and continuing through June 30, 2027. Based on a Determination of Interest process in August 2026 in which seven entities expressed their intention to apply for the funds, First 5 is releasing this competitive RFP. C. Primary Population The First 5 Sacramento Commission funds shall serve pregnant women, children ages zero through five, their parents/caregivers, and early learning professionals in Sacramento County. Children are eligible for Commission-funded activities up to their 6th birthday or until they enter kindergarten, whichever comes first. Further detail regarding the specific population to be served under this RFP: Children ages 0 – 5 years who have exceptional needs and their parents / caregivers who reside in Sacramento County. Exceptional needs may include (but are not limited to) developmental delays or disabilities, motor delays or disabilities, communication delays or disabilities, hearing impairment, vision impairment, autism spectrum disorders, chronic or terminal illnesses, etc., that limit their participation and/or activities in early childhood settings. Note that children are not required to have an active IFSP or IEP in order to participate in these playgroups; participation will be at the discretion of the grantee. D. Amount of Funding and Contract Term A total of $240,000 in funding is available for three years beginning July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030. Please see the RFP Specifications Sheet for additional information about this competitive RFP. Funding for approved programs will be subject to periodic fiscal and program evaluation to ensure that the anticipated results are being achieved. The Commission is under no obligation to continue funding beyond the contract term.
