Los Angeles – Best Start, a First 5 LA effort, has scheduled three new July community partnership meetings in the South Los Angeles area to continue working on ways to improve communities for families and children 0 – 5 years old.

The first of the three will be held for the West Athens community and is scheduled for Monday, July 18, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm, at the First New Christian Fellowship, 1555 W. 108th Street, L.A. 90047.

The second, for the Watts-Willowbrook community is scheduled for Tuesday, July 19, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm, at Verbum Dei High School, 11100 S. Central Avenue, L.A. 90059. The third meeting will be held Thursday, July 21, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm in Compton at the Compton Unified School District, 501 S. Sante Fe Avenue, Compton 90221.

A light dinner will be provided at all meetings and reservations are requested. For July 18, please respond to Aimee Loya Owens, Program Officer, 213.482.7560 or aloya[at]first5la.org. For July 19, please contact Tina Chinakarn, Program Officer, 213.482.7521 or TCinakarn[at]first5la.org.

For Compton, please respond to Amy Williams Banfield, Program Officer, 213.482.7542 or http://www.beststart.org/compton-eastcompton.

Note that childcare, translation services and transportation are available upon request only.

Community members, especially parents, are asked to identify community strengths, needs and resources that help support young children and their families. Best Start brings together parents and other community members to help strengthen neighborhoods. Parents, educators, faith-based groups, businesses, health professionals and others will work together to ensure that children are born healthy, maintain a health weight, are safe from abuse and neglect and are ready for kindergarten.

First 5 LA is dedicating resources to support the development and implementation of community strengthening plans in South Los Angeles – Compton/East Compton, Broadway –Manchester, West Athens and Watts-Willowbrook, as well as other communities throughout Los Angeles County – Central Long Beach, East Los Angeles, El Monte and South El Monte, Lancaster, Metro LA, Pacoima, Palmdale, Panorama City, Southeast Cities (Bell, Cudahy, Bell Gardens and Maywood) and Wilmington.