Agenda 8-c - Family Success Alliance – Agreements for Navigator Program

Browse Search

ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 15, 2018 Action Agenda Item No. 8-c SUBJECT: Family Success Alliance – Agreements for Navigator Program DEPARTMENT: Health ATTACHMENT(S): Orange Congregations in Missions (OCIM) Agreement Empowerment, Inc. Agreement INFORMATION CONTACT: Quintana Stewart, 919-245-2412 Coby Jansen Austin, 919-245-2070 PURPOSE: To approve two agreements totaling $452,325 (OCIM - $213,601 and Empowerment, Inc. - $238,724) to implement the Family Success Alliance Zone Navigator Program in zones 4 and 6, respectively. BACKGROUND: The Family Success Alliance (FSA) is a collective impact initiative whose goal is to close the opportunity gap in Orange County. FSA engages in individual-level and systems- level work to strengthen the pipeline of success from cradle to college and career. FSA is currently working in 2 of the 6 zones that originally applied to be a part of the initiative. To do this work, FSA brings together community members, school systems, local government agencies, non-profits, and other community leaders to strategize and align efforts. FSA also partners directly with students and their families through direct programming. The work is facilitated by a core group of staff located at the Orange County Health Department and overseen by the Family Success Alliance Advisory Council, the newly formed FSA Parent Council, and the Board of Health. The Navigator Program is a key element that connects to all aspects of FSA and is modeled after Northside Achievement Zone’s Family Achievement Coaches. Navigators are proven leaders in the community who are selected based on deep community roots, shared experience with families, and being active leaders in their communities. Peer navigators have the lived experience of struggling to make ends meet and are able to culturally and linguistically connect with families. The County contracts with local community-based organizations to employ the navigators in the zones in which they work. This allows them to be physically and philosophically close to the community, benefit from the mentorship of seasoned community leaders, and increase the capacity of existing neighborhood organizations. FSA incrementally scales its reach by enrolling a new cohort each year. FSA’s Ready for K summer camp has the capacity to reach 90 zone students each year, of whom navigators recruit 45 families. Each 1.0 FTE (full time equivalent) navigator is paired with 20 families, therefore 1