OC Partnership for Young Children report 1999

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The success of the Los Ninos Task Force required a tremendous effort by many individuals. Twenty -seven community members including parents and agency professionals served on the Task Force. Through surveys, focus groups, and meetings, this Task Force explored the needs of Latino families with young children in Orange County, and developed recommendations to address gaps in services in child health, early childhood care and education, and family support. We are indebted to Reverend John Burton and Wallace Kuralt, who served as co- chairs and OCPYC Board liaisons for this effort. Together they provided inspired leadership for the Task Force and championed this issue in the community. This initiative would not have been possible without the enthusiastic contributions of Dr. Dina Castro, who provided excellent facilitation of our Task Force meetings. Special thanks to Anne Hastings for managing the data analysis. Finally, we are extremely grateful to those who served as focus group facilitators, interpreters and translators, including Dina Castro, Karen Current, Sabrina Simon, Libertad Villalba, Megan Clark, Michele Easter, Donna Jennings, Romelia Trevino, Sonia Rajo, Pilar Forte, Jan Jillson, and Patricia Carroll. Muchas gracias! We extend our deepest appreciation to the parents and community professionals who gave hours of their time, insight and expertise to make this project possible. We wish to preserve the anonymity of the Latino parents who participated in focus groups and Task Force meetings, but here express our sincere appreciation to them for sharing their views with us. The willingness of all of these community members to collaboratively consider difficult issues and suggest promising solutions is a tribute to their commitment to children and families. We are confident that it will lead to improved outcomes for Latino children and families in Orange County.