PRESS RELEASE

The First 5 Yolo Commission today announced that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gina Daleiden will retire after ten years leading the agency’s efforts to support young children and families throughout Yolo County, and after more than 20 years at County of Yolo. The Commission expressed deep gratitude for Daleiden’s leadership and the transformative impact of her work.

“Gina’s vision, dedication, and strategic leadership have helped strengthen early childhood systems across our county,” said Yolo County Supervisor and First 5 Yolo Commission Chair Lucas Frerichs. “Her work has expanded resources for young children and positioned First 5 Yolo as a leader in innovative approaches to improving outcomes for families.”

During her tenure, First 5 Yolo significantly expanded its funding base beyond declining Proposition 10 revenues, more than tripling the agency’s resources in support of very young children and their families. Daleiden also worked strategically to position the agency within California’s evolving health and early childhood systems, including transforming First 5 Yolo into a Medi-Cal service provider to establish more durable and sustainable funding pathways.

A centerpiece of this work has been the countywide launch of Welcome Baby: Road to Resilience, a flagship initiative developed and refined over the past six years that integrates health care and social services to improve maternal and infant health while strengthening child abuse prevention efforts. The program has emerged as a data-driven statewide model for coordinated perinatal services designed to better support families in the earliest years of life.

Daleiden’s leadership extended beyond Yolo County through her service on the Executive Board and Policy Committee of the First 5 Association of California. In those roles, she helped elevate sustainability as a statewide priority and advanced collaboration with managed care plans as part of long-term funding strategies for early childhood systems.

“Serving the children and families of Yolo County has been one of the great privileges of my professional life,” Daleiden said. “I am deeply grateful to the First 5 Yolo Commissioners, our extraordinary staff team, and the many community, state, and county partners who share a commitment to investing in the earliest years of life.”

The Commission will soon begin a search for the agency’s next Chief Executive Officer. Daleiden will continue serving as CEO during the search and transition to support continuity of leadership.

About First 5 Yolo

 First 5 Yolo works to improve the health, development, and well-being of young children and families in Yolo County through strategic investments, partnerships, and innovative programs focused on the critical early years of life. Learn more at www.First5Yolo.org.