Wendy Wendt, Executive Director: Wendy has been the leader of First 5 SLO County since 2014. She is a professional, collaborative idea-shaper and enjoys convening mixed groups of organizations and people with diverse perspectives to tap and build shared commitment to a cause or project. She has extensive exprience in grant writing, facilitation and development.
First 5 is a proud leader in the collective effort to support young children, both at the state and local level. It is an independent public agency created in 1998 by California’s Proposition 10, a voter-approved initiative that added a 50-cent tax on tobacco products. This revenue provides a dedicated source of funding for programs that serve children from prenatal development through age five and their families. Every county in California has a First 5. Each is allocated money according to birth rate, and each is governed by a local board of Commissioners.