Children and Families )))
Best Start Central Long Beach
While in-person monthly community partnership meetings are on hold due to the pandemic, you can learn more about our ongoing work through our video series on YouTube or Facebook. We are also continuing to connect community members to one another and to important resources.
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Best Start Central Long Beach (BSCLB)
An initiative of First 5 LA, Best Start Central Long Beach is working to create the best possible community for young children and their families. Best Start brings together parents, community organizations, institutions, and others to improve local policies and resources to better support parents and create a community where children and families can thrive. Best Start also provides the skills-building and leadership training to help the group achieve its goals and ensure that children are safe, healthy, and ready to learn.
Partnership Meeting
Best Start's success rests on a firm foundation of community members who form our Community Partnership. Members of the community are invited to join the monthly Partnership Meeting to find a space to contribute to this movement. Members of the Partnership have shared that their participation is always “meaningful” and a “reminder that it is possible to change our community.” It’s also a space to make connections to others with similar experiences and learn about resources in the community.
Listen to Best Start Leadership Team Member Angelica Murrillo and Partnership Member Lilia Ocampo talk about the impact of their involvement in the Best Start Community:
Volunteer Highlights
For Women's History Month, we highlighted three community members to share their stories about community engagement. Meet Sithary, Kia, and Irma.
Please Contact Us
Call Nereyda Soto, Community Organizer
562-436-4800
or email us at: beststart@lbforward.org
Participatory Budgeting
Participatory Budgeting is a process for the community, by the community.
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend resources within a budget. It’s a way to empower people within a community to get involved in budget decisions that will impact their lives.
Starting in 2019, Best Start Central Long Beach began using the Participatory Budgeting process to decide how to spend a significant portion of our budget on community identified projects. Through the Participatory Budgeting process, Best Start has been able to directly create and fund projects that help implement our community change agenda and improve the lives of children and their families.
2020 Participatory Budgeting (PB) Winning Projects
Out of the 100+ ideas we received during our (PB) Idea Collection process, our Project Delegates have voted and selected several winning projects. Thank you to all community members who put their time and energy into creating such amazing projects to help build up our community! And a special shoutout to all the Fellows who dedicated time with each delegate to help their projects come to life.
What is Participatory Budgeting? Video above
Congratulations to our 2020 winners:
Keeping Long Beach Tenants in their Homes
Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives
Childcare Licensing Incubator
Leaders of North Long Beach
ESPANOL
LOS GANADORES SON…
Manteniendo a los Inquilinos de Long Beach en sus Hogares
Mentes Sanas, Vidas Sanas
Proyecto de Incubadora de Cuidado Infantil
Líderes de North Long Beach
¡Estamos ansiosos por comenzar estos proyectos! ¡Gracias a todos los miembros de la comunidad que dedicaron su tiempo y energía a crear proyectos tan increíbles para ayudar a construir nuestra comunidad! Un agradecimiento especial a todos los becarios que dedicaron tiempo con cada delegado para ayudar a traer a vida sus proyectos..
Look back at our 2019 winning projects:
Sign up for our email list here.
For more information, follow Best Start Central Long Beach on Facebook for more updates, or contact the Best Start Team at beststart@lbforward.org.