First 5 San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

First 5 San Diego’s Quality Preschool Initiative (QPI) implements quality preschool standards designed to reduce the school readiness gap and improve children’s school achievement in San Diego County. The initiative ensures access to a high-quality preschool experience at no cost to families in 17 targeted high-need communities throughout the county. The program promotes quality standards for the delivery of early childhood education services and learning environments, based on nationally recognized best practices. In its second year, the program leverages state and federal funds and serves over 12,000 preschool-aged (3-5 years) children per year in 43 agencies at 207 sites and 638 classrooms. Children in the program have made significant gains in all developmental domains measured in a state child assessment tool.