Health & Human services

Early Childhood Strategic Initiatives

MISSION

All young children in Long Beach will reach their full potential and live in healthy and safe homes and communities.

ABOUT US

The Early Childhood Strategic Initiatives Program (ECSI) oversees the success of the Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan, to ensure that the children and families of Long Beach have the resources and support needed to have a strong start in life.  We partner, collaborate and engage with children and family serving organizations and agencies to increase access to holistic supportive services.

HELP ME GROW

The Help Me Grow Initiative aims to strengthen and expand referral pathways to better connect families with services and supports to address children’s developmental concerns. This initiative encourages a cross-sector, coordinated, and effective early childhood system model and focuses on improving the delivery of direct services for early development. Through the commitment and participation of our collaborative partners, we are ensuring developmental awareness, early detection, referral, and linkage to services for young children in Long Beach.

Milestones Matter Flyer - English
Milestones Tracker - English 
Milestones Matter Flyer - Spanish
Milestones Tracker - Spanish 
Milestones Matter Flyer - Khmer
Milestones Tracker - Khmer 
Milestones Matter Flyer - Tagalog
Milestones Tracker - Tagalog

Community Events

Celebration of the Young Child

Each year, the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department), in collaboration with the Long Beach Public Library and the Mayor’s Fund for Long Beach, hosts the Celebration of the Young Child, where more than 50 organizations provide resources, hands-on learning and entertainment to over 1,000 families. Children are provided opportunities throughout the event to learn, explore and play through hands-on activities, sensory engagement and age-appropriate games. Their caregivers and family members enjoy live performances by musical artists, participate in opportunity drawings and are provided a wealth of information on keeping their children healthy and thriving. 

For more information on this year's event, follow the Health Department on Facebook, Instagram, and X. 

STRATEGIC PLAN

The City of Long Beach Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan is a collaborative and comprehensive plan developed with multiple stakeholders throughout the City. This Plan was created to ensure all families and young children across the City have equitable access to the programs and supports they seek, as well as to provide a road map for the City’s early childhood system to continue to advance and promote access to high-quality services and supports for all families.  The purpose of this Plan is to provide direction for early childhood investments and advocacy as well as to outline collaborative opportunities that can strengthen the City’s offerings for young children and their families. 

City of Long Beach Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan
 City of Long Beach Early Childhood Education Strategic Plan – Executive Summary

RESOURCES

Long Beach Resource Line

Community Partners

Long Beach Early Childhood Committee (LBECE)
Mayor’s Fund for Long Beach 
PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)  
The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach (Youth & Family Services) 
Rainbow Families  

Alejandra S. Albarran Moses, Ph.D, Early Childhood Strategic Initiatives Program Manager – Alejandra.AlbarranMoses@longbeach.gov Gaby Acosta, M.A., Early Childhood Program Specialist – Gaby.Acosta@longbeach.gov Joanna Campos, M.A., Help Me Grow Coordinator – Joanna.Campos@longbeach.gov

For more information, email us at ECEprogram@longbeach.gov 

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