IN THIS ISSUE / EN ESTE NUMERO Welcoming lesbian/gay

Transcripción

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Permit #1846
PUBLISHED BY ACTION ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN ±c
Maii
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IN THIS ISSUE / EN ESTE NUMERO
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Welcoming lesbian/gay families in
preschool
‘2
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FAMILY ECONOMIC SUCCESS
Win-win job training
Acogiendo a padres lesbianas/gays
•en los programas preescolares
‘
SUCESO ECONOMICO FAMILIAR
FormaciOn laboral para ganar
REGULAR FEATURES/ARTICULOS REGULARES
GRASSROOTS SNAPSHOT
Defeating cuts to CaIWORKs
INSTANTANEA DE COMUNIDAD
Victoria contra los recortes a CalWORKs
BOOKBASKET
Trouble in scnool/Lios en Ia escueia
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sucesc
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‘‘
FAMILY SUPPORT WORKS’
School readiness
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EL APOYO FAMILIAR FUNCTIONAl
Listos para Ia escuela pa
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FAMILYSUPPORT WORKS!
Funding family resource centers
V
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V NEWS FROM THE CHILDREN’S
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NOTICIAS DE ORGANIZACIONES
ABOGANDOPOR LOS NINOS
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COVER PHOTO: CARLOS PUMA/FIRST 5 RIVERSIDE
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ACTION ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN
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•
THE HUNT HOUSE
•
1201 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY
www. 1
tchildren.orq
•
OAKLAND, CA 94612-1217
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ADVOCATE
The bimonthly children ‘s Advocate is published
by Action Alliance for Children, a nonprofit org
anization dedicated to informing and empowering
people who work with and on behalf of children.
Executive Director/Editor
Jean Tepperman
Accountant
Pam Elliott
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Jessine Foss
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Eric Foss
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Legal Counsel
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Randy Reiter, President
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Catalina Alvarado, Secretaiy
Kathy Flores
Lisa Lee
Adam Ray
Victor Rubin
Ernest Ting
Maria Luz Torre
Advisory Council
Jill Duerr Berrick
University of California
Child Welfare Research Center
Margaret Brodkin
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Maria Campbell Casey
Partnership for the Public’s Health
Hedy N. Chang
Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
Jonah Edelman
Stand for Children
Louis Freedberg
San Francisco Chronicle
Dana Hughes
Institute for Health Policy Studies
Herb Kohl
Author & Educator
Milton Kotelchuck
Professor, Dept. of Maternal and Child Health
University of North Carolina
Arabella Martinez
Spanish Speaking Unity Council
Effie Lee Moms
California Library Services
Daphne Muse
Multicultural author and editor
Lucy Quacinella
National Center for Youth Law
Wilson Riles, Jr.
American Friends Service Committee
Giovanna Stark
Assembly Select Committee on Adolescents
Principal Consultant
Alan Watahara
Attorney and children’s policy advocate
Stan Weisner
UC Berkeley Children & the Changing Family Program
Rev. Cecil Williams
Glide Memorial Church
Action Alliance for Children is a tan-exempt organization
supported in part by a California State Department of
Education (SDE) grant. However, the opinions expressed
herein do not necessarily reflect those of SDE and opinions
expressed by contributors or writers do not necessarily
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Action Alliance for Children
The Hunt House
1201 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
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e-mail: [email protected]
www.4children.org
CrChildren ‘S Advocate NewsMagazine. ASSN 0739-45X
Next Issue: January-February 2005
Advertising Deadline: December 15, 2004
Printed on recycled paper
-
Volume 41
3 Grassroots Snapshot:
Number 5
10 Family Support Works! Starting strong
Parents fight CaIWORKS grant cuts
By Jean Tepperman
Instantánecis de Ia Comunidad:
Padres luchan contra recortes en subsidios de
CaIWORKS
Por Jean Tepperman
4 Win-win job training
“Sector strategies” team community agencies
with employers to make job training work
By Eve Peariman
5 Formación laboral para ganar
“Estrategias de sector” enlazan a agendas
comunitarias y empleadores para que Ia
formación laboral sea un éxito
Por Eve Peariman
6 Two mommies? Two daddies?
Helping lesbian and gay families feel visible
and welcome in preschool programs
By Andrea Hernandez
7 .Dos mamas? .Dos papas?
Ayudando a familias de gays y lesbianas a
sentirse visibles y bien recibidas en los progra
mas preescolares
Por Andrea Hernández
8 Breathing easier
Parents and health educators offer tips for
managing children’s asthma
By Jessine Foss
The Kern County First Five School Readiness
Initiative helps kids—and parents—get ready
for school
By Claudia Miller
11 El apoyo para Ia familia funciona!
Comenzando con todo
La lniciativa para Ia Buena Disposicion Escolar de
Los Primeros Cinco en el condado de Kern ayuda
a niños—y padres—a estar listos para Ia escuela
Por Claudia Miller
12 Family resource centers: “The money is
out there.!”
Sustaining family support programs in a time
of budget cuts
By Melia Franklin
13 Trouble in school/L.ios en Ia escuela
(Con libros en español)
These stories show that lots of kids have
problems-and that they can cope with
them and thrive
By Ben Peterson
14 Children’s Advocates Roundtable
Bills on children’s issues, proposal to “streamline
California government, Propuesetas de ley sobre
temas infantiles
Family Support Corner, Esquina de Apoyo
FamiliOr, “Racionialización” del govierno de
California
9 Respirando con más facilidad
Padres y educadores de salud ofrecen consejos
para manejar el asma infantil
Por Jessine Foss
Resources for lowest-scoring schools,
Recommendations for kids’ fitness, State budget
workshops, Recursos para escuelas con menor
rendimienfo académico, Recomendaciones para Ia
salud fIsica de los niños, talleres sabre el pre
supuesto estatal
EDITOR’S NOTE
Much as we would like to think our society values all our
children, we also know that by the time kids start school,
some hove had a lot more opportunities than others to
develop the knowledge, skills, and emotional strengths that
help them succeed.
A new report on school readiness by First 5 Los Angeles
and the RAND Corporation looks at the factors that promote
school readiness. Among other things, they found that chil
dren of well-educated mothers start school with more of the
skills and knowledge they need to start reading. Why? The
authors of the report suggest that the reason may be that
educated mothers may know more about how to help kids
develop skills.
But you don’t need to go to college to understand how to
prepare kids for reading. Our Family Support Works! story
on pgs. 10 and 11 describes a school readiness program in
Kern County that helps parents prepare their kids for school
success—and reports on research showing that similar pro
grams really work.
Another interesting finding in the First 5 L.A./RAND report
was that kids who live in very poor neighborhoods are more
likely to be sad, anxious, or aggressive than other kids. This
adds to many other studies showing that poverty harms kids.
That’s why strategies to help families raise their incomes
are necessary to make sure that all kids have a chance to
thrive. In this issue, in our series on Family Economic
Success, we describe training programs that give parents the
kind of support they need to move up to higher-paying lobs
(p. 4 and 5). And our Grassroots Snapshot shows how low
income parents themselves successfully fought a proposed
cut to their incomes.
An increasing number of kids also struggle with another
obstacle—asthma. Our article on pgs. 8 and 9 discusses
Thanks to the Trio Foundation for its support of our
special September-October election issue
2 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2004
•
some of the reason childhood asthma is increasing and
gives parents and caregivers tips for getting asthma under
control.
Meanwhile some kids go to schools and child care pro
grams where they run into a different kind of discourage
ment: subtle—or not-so-subtle—messages that there’s
something “wrong” with their families. Our story on pgs. 6
and 7 describes a new campaign to help child care
providers welcome and support families with lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or tronsgender parents.
Support for all families, of course, is the goal of the
California family resource centers-more than a thousand
of them—now struggling to meet families’ needs as many of
their own funding sources dwindle. Our story on p. 12 dis
cusses ways that family resource centers can get the support
they need to continue giving families the support they need.
And our bookbasket on p. 13 (now including books in
Spanish as well as English) offers kids and parents some
inspiring examples of kids who overcome learning or
behavioral problems to succeed in school.
We wish no children had to struggle with obstacles to
growing up happy and healthy, but we know that kids can
be incredibly resilient and overcome a lot of problems if they
have the right support from adults who care about them.
That’s why the work you do with and for children and fam
ilies is so important.
—Jean Tepperman
CORRECTION: In the September issue of the Children’s
Advocate, we mistakenly listed the California Budget Project
as an opponent of Prop. 1A, “Protection of local govern
ment revenues.” The California Budget Project rarely takes
positions on propositions and neither supports nor opposes
this measure. We apologize for any confusion this error may
have caused.
Parents fight CalWORKS grant cuts
By Jean Tepperman
overnor Schwarzenegger
proposed big cuts to the
state budget last Januar>
but by May “he had made deals
with all of the big players,” recalls
Anita Rees, program director for
Low Income Families Empower
ment Through Education (LIFETIME),
an organization representing lowincome parents. The problem was,
“we weren’t big playersl” The gover
nor was still insisting on cuts to pro
grams for low-income families.
But a few months later, he signed
G
a budget with no cuts to CalWORKs
grants, even a cost-of-living in
crease for welfare families. In addi
tion, he agreed to legislation that
ended the two-year limit on educa
tion for parents on CaIWORKs.
What caused this turnaround?
One obvious factor was the
announced opposition to welfare
cuts from powerful Democratic
Party leader Sen. John Burton. But
advocacy by low-income parents
themselves was also key, says
Burton’s chief fiscal policy advisor
V0N7T.RGET
LIFETIME member Vivian Ham and daughter Jasmine at a protest at the Capitol.
Diane Cummiris: “It’s important for
the legislators to see the people
who will be affected. They are the
most articulate and they dispel the
stereotypes.”
“Shirts Off Our Backs”
LIFETIME started the year by bring
mg 150 parents, children, and supporters
to the Capitol January 12 to protest pro
posed cuts that would “take the shirts off
our backs.”
“We had parents from all over the
state come together,” says LIFETIME
member Tma Howerton. “We rehearsed
what we were going to say and made T
shirts with messages. Then we put up a
gigantic clothesline at the state Capitol
and hung up 200 T shirts. It was the first
time we’ve ever done anything that big.”
Then “throughout the spring and
summer,” Howerton adds, “we were up
there almost every week with different
groups of parents, with our children,
with our stories.” Tactics included:
Visits to legislators—LIFETIME
members were frequent visitors to both
the Sacramento and the district offices of
their local representatives, says LIFE
TIIVIE member Dawn Love. They also
visited other key legislators, especially
“people on the (budget) committees
(who) make the decisions.”
This “personal interaction with a
member (of the legislature) or their
staff’ is the tactic with the most impact,
says Christian Griffith, consultant for the
Assembly Budget Subcommittee on
Health and Human Services.
Testimony at hearings—January
through July, “we continued to have a
presence at each of the Ca1WORKs bud
get subcommittee meetings,” says Rees.
“I just introduce myself,” says Love,
who has testified at many legislative
hearings, “and tell them how the cuts
will impact my family.”
Personal leffers—Parents all over
the state, says Rees, wrote letters show
ing how their families’ budgets would be
affected by the proposed 5 percent cut in
the CaIWORKS grant—”what they
couldn’t pay for any more, like food,
gas, clothing.”
Press coverage—With the huge
clothesline (and advance calls to re
porters) LIFETIIvIE attracted press atten
tion. So the TV cameras were rolling
when a group of parents and children
camped and chanted in front of the gov
ernor’s office demanding a meeting. At a
press briefing later in the year, LIFE
TIME and the California Partnership, a
coalition of organizations advocating for
low-income families, displayed cases of
baby food and boxes of diapers to show
the real needs that wouldn’t be met if
welfare grants were cut.
• LIFETIME, 510-452-5192
Do you know a grassroots group that won a victoty for kids?
Contact: Jean Tepperman, 510-444-7136, aacean(ä4chiIdren.org
ãConoce algun grupo de base que haya con quisfado una victoria en nombre de los niños?
Contacto: Jean Tepperman, 510-444-7136, aacjeanCãi4children.org
TroducciOn al castellano:
Lucrecia Miranda
Padres luchan contra
recortes en subsidios de CalWORKS
Por Jean Tepperman
l gobernador Schwarzenegger
propuso importantes recortes
al presupuesto del estado en
enero pasado, si bien para ci mes
de mayo ya “habIa negociado con
todos los agentes mds importantes”,
recuerda Anita Rees, directora de
programa para Ia organizoción Low
Income Families Empowerment
Through Education (LIFETIME, segUn
sus iniciales en ingies), Ia cual tra
baja para facultar a las familios de
bajos ingresos a través de Ia edu
cación. El problema era que
“i(nosotros) no éramos un agente
importante!” El gobernador aUn in
sistIa en efeduar recortes a los pro
gramas para familias de bolos
ingresos.
Sin embargo, pocos meses
despues, el gobernador firrnó ci
presupuesto sin materializar los re
cortes para los subsidios de CalWORKS e incluyo un aumento en
concepto de costo de vida para las
familias en asistencia pOblica. Asi
mismo, concordó en Icr sanciôn de
propuestas legislativas que pusie
ron fin aI Ilmite de dos años en Ia
educaciOn de los padres en Cal
WORKs.
E
aQué fue lo que causó seme
jante vuelco?
Un factor obvio fue Ia oposiciOn
recortes a Ia asistencia póbli
los
a
por el senador John
anunciada
ca
Burton, importante lider y vocero
del partido demócrata. Pero los
esfuerzos de los propios padres de
bajos ingresos abogando por estas
medidas tambien fueron clove,
declara Diane Cummins, Ia conse
jera jefe de politico fiscal de Burton:
“Es importante poro los legisladores
ver a Ia gente que va a ser afecta
do. Son personas bien preparadas,
y que dispersan todo estereotipo”.
Camisetas en el Capitolio
Este afio, LIFETIIvIE comenzó ile
vando a 150 padres, niños y otras per
sonas interesadas al Capitolio el 12 de
enero pasado para protestar por los
recortes propuestos.
“Se juntaron padres de todo el esta
do”, dice Ia miembro de LIFETIME
Tina Howerton. “Ensayamos qué es lo
que Ibamos a decir e hicimos camisetas
con mensajes. Luego extendimos una
cuerda gigante para colgar ropa frente al
Capitolio del estado y colgamos 200
camisetas. Era la primera vez que
hacIamos algo tan grande”.
Luego, “a lo largo de toda Ia primav
era y el verano”, agrega Howerton,
“estuvimos alli casi cada semana con
diferentes grupos de padres, con nue
stros niños, con nuestras histonas”.
Algunas de las tácticas incluyeron:
Visitas a los legisladores—Los
miembros de LIFETIME se convirtieron
en visitantes frecuentes de las oficinas de
sus representantes en Sacramento y en
las oficinas de distrito de funcionarios
locales, dice otra miembro de LIFE
TIME, Dawn Love. También visitaron a
otros legisladores dave, especialmente
“personas quienes están trabajando en
los comités (del presupuesto), (porque
ellos) quienes toman las decisiones”.
Esta “interacción personal con un
representante (de la Legislatura) o con
alguien de su personal” es Ia táctica de
más impacto, dice Christian Griffith,
consejero del Comité de la Asamblea
para el Presupuesto sobre Salud y
Servicios Humanos.
Testimonio en las audiencias
ptèblicas—Entre los meses de enero y
julio “continuamos con nuestra presen
cia en todas y cada una de las juntas del
subcomité para el presupuesto de
CaIWORKs”, dice Rees. “Solo me pre
sento”, dice Love—quien ya ha testifica
do en varias audiencias legislativas—”y
les digo cOmo esos recortes van a
impactar a mi familia”.
Cartas personales—Padres de
todo el estado, dice Rees, escribieron
cartas en las que mostraban cómo los
presupuestos de su familia se verfan
afectados con el recorte propuesto del 5
por ciento para el subsidio de CalWORKS (e ilustrando) “lo que ya no
iban a poder pagar, tal como alimentos,
combustible, o ropa”.
Cobertura de prensa—Con Ia
enorme cuerda para colgar ropa (y las
ilamadas anticipadas a los periodistas)
LIFETIME atrajo Ia atención de la pren
sa. AsI, las cámaras de television se
encontraban filmando cuando un grupo
de padres y nifios acampaba y cantaba
frente a la oficina del gobernador mien
tras exiglan una reumdn. En una ronda
de prensa que tuvo lugar más tarde este
aflo, LIFETIME y Calfomia Partner
ship—ina coaliciOn de organizaciones
abogando por las familias de bajos
ingresos—mostraron cajas de comida
para bebés y paquetes de pafiales para
ilustrar las necesidades reales que
quedarlan sin salisfacerse si se recorta
ban los subsidios de asistencia social.
• LIFETIME, 510-452-5192
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE 3
faiy
ECDNDM1C
Win-win lob training
“Sector strategies” team community agencies with
employers to make job training work
Resources in San
Francisco and Alameda
counties
By Eve Peariman
hree years ago Harjinder
Nijjar was working as a recep
tionist at a Sacramento nurs
ing home when a fax appeared. “It
said they’d help pay for you to get
your LVN (Licensed Vocational
Nurse certificate),” says Nijjar, a 27year-old mother of Iwo.
Next June, Nijjar will graduate
from Sacramento College with an
LVN certificate, her ticket to a better
paying job—local starting hourly
pay for an LVN is around $20, a big
jump from her current $1 1.75.
Through the Nurse Work’Force
Initiative (NWI), Nijjar received free
tuition, books, and uniforms—and
a place in a college nursing pro
gram. The NWI is funded by a $2.6
million grant from the federal
Workforce Investment Act and run
by the Sacramento Employment
Training Agency (SETA) in partner
ship with area hospitals and col
leges. It aims to train 204 RNs and
LVNs in the Sacramento area by
2006.
T
What is a
“sector strategy”?
Sacramento’s Nurse Workforce Initiative is an example of a
“sector strategy,” in which a
community-based organization
works with employers to fill a
specific employee shortage,
while providing the support that
low-income people need to get,
keep, and advance in jobs.
“By looking at both the needs
of workers and employers, you
create a win-win situation,” says
Amy Wallace of the National
Network of Sedor Partners (a
project of the National Economic
Development and Law Center).
Elements include:
Employers in a specific
industry—most often health
care, but programs also focus on
biotech, construction, and more.
Communily organization—
a family resource center, neigh
borhood organization, govern
ment agency, or labor union that
provides coordination and case
management and helps trainees
with expenses.
Shared goals—of creating
system change—career paths
that work better for both employ
er and employee.
Ann Tracy on the job in the hospital.
...
LINK TO SUPPORT
A PLACE IN SCHOOL
“The number one reason people drop
out of these programs is financial,” says
Maria Steele, a SETA case manager who
keeps in monthly contact with Nijjar and
the other trainees. Area nursing pro
grams usually lose one student in five,
but only one person has dropped out of
the NWI.
Steele credits this success to grant
funds for helping participants make ends
meet. “I’ve processed over $44,000 dol
lars in support services,” she says—for
rent, car insurance, child care, or other
basics.
Steele has also connected students to
other supports, says Annette Smith
Dorhing, manager of workforce devel
opment for Sutter Health in Sacramento.
Finding subsidized child care has
“enabled (students) to cut back on their
work hours, to make it easier to com
plete school.”
Nijjar also values the program’s help
in navigating college requirements: “If I
was going to try to get my LVN on my
own,” she says, “I would be so lost!”
With support from the federal grant,
Sacramento State University and the Los
Rios Community College District added
classes for NWI participants. That was
crucial for Ann Tracy, a single mother of
two, who began her career working in
the laundry room of Sacramento’s Sutter
Memorial Hospital.
Tracy found out about the NWI after
she’d already earned her LVN and was
struggling to get a spot in an RN training
program—increasingly limited as the
state budget tightened. “SETA was the
key, to getting me in,” says Tracy, whose
pay jumped from $20 to over $30 an
hour when she became an RN.
GAINS FOR EMPLOYERS
A network of health industry employ
ers (Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health,
Catholic Healthcare West, and UC Davis
Medical Services) applied for the WIA
grant because of a severe nursing short
age, says Smith-Dorhing.
“We know how hard it is working,
going to school, and having a family—
so we wanted to find a way to help our
existing staff,” she adds. And employers
benefit from having “staff who’ve
already worked in health care.”
Employers recruit participants, pro
vide course instructors, and help their
employees participate. Kaiser workers
get a day off a week, paid, to attend
classes. Other employers adjust work
hours to fit with class schedules.
Family Economic Success is a six-part series supported by
Friedman Family Foundation, Walter and Elise Haas Fund and
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation.
• ONRAMP TO. BIOTECH
Trains low-income people as
lob technicians, biomariufac
turing technicians, and anirral
care technicians. SFWORK$;
Rocky Pasha, 415-217-5198,
www.sfworksorg
• LEGAL EMPLOYMENT
ACTION PROGRAM (LEAP).
A partnership bétweén Jewish
Vocotiohal Services and the•
Bar Association of San
• Francisco, LEAP trains l.ow.::
income people for entry-Level
positions and provides
advanced training for
employees already working in
law ffrrns. Jodie Stein, JVS,
CAREER PATH
SETA is “doing a fantastic job of get
ting 00w-income workers) on a career
path where they’ll be able to support
their families for a long time—that’s
really the strategy of all sector programs
(see box),” says Amy Wallace of the
National Network of Sector Partners.
Tracy, who can now earn more
money while working fewer hours,
describes the results. “For so many years
I’ve been juggling bills and the kids,”
she says. “But right now, there’s another
week before I get paid, and there’s
money in the bank. And tonight I’m tak
ing the kids out for pizza just for fun, just
because I can. And I don’t have to won
der now, how am I going to pay the
rent?”
• BAY AREA
CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
INTERVENTION
COLLABORATIVE
A collaborative of labor
unions, the Port of Oakland,
and cOmmünhly based organi
ztions increases access to
careers in construction,
510-891-8773,
wwwbacsic,org
.
.
..:
..
iRUBICON PROGRAM, INC..
.Eñtry.:leveltrainirig:in
Richmond for the Rubicon
Bakery, commercidi. property
:
•maintciflence• and :
landscaping, 510-235-1516,
.rubiconpgmsor.
OTHER RESOURCES
• The Sacramento
Employment and Training
Agency, 916 263..3800,
• National Network of Sector
Partners (a ptoji:.of the:
Nationtil EcOnomic
Development and Law
Center), ArriyWallacé,
510-251-2600,
www nedlc org/nnsp
..
.....
.
Pushing for training
“In the last 10 years there have been declining dollars for job training,”
says Cindy Marano, director of the National Network of Sector Partners.
The main sources of funds are the federal Workforce Investment Ad (WIA)
and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)—both. programs
need to be renewed in the next year. That provides an opportunity for advo
cates to press for more money for training and for essential support ser
vices to trainees, as well as rules that make it easier to develop partnership
programs.
To stay informed about WIA and TANF advocacy, sign on to the Family
Economic Self Sufficiency email list at FESS-CA(yahoogroups.com or
contact Dexter Ligot-Gordon at the National Network of Sector Partners,
dexter(änedlc.org.
Two mommies? Two daddies?
Helping lesbian and gay families feel visible and welcome in preschool
programs
By Andrea Hernandez
II hate having two mommies,” the little girl told
her friend.
“Why?” the friend asked.
“Because I hate it when the teacher says, ‘Take
this home to your mom and dad!”
The lesbian mother who overheard this con
versation reported it to Lee Lesser, family support
specialist at Parent Services Project in San Rafael.
This and similar experiences led Lesser and other
early childhood educators to loin with parents
and communiiy activists last year to launch the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Early
Childhood Education Initiative. The initiative aims
to increase the number of San Francisco and
Alameda counly child care programs that wel
come LGBT families.
The group held its first conference this fall and
has helped start the first-ever college course for
preschool teachers on this topic, at City College
of San Francisco.
.NEW VISIBILITY, OLD WORRIES
LGBT-headed families with children are a growing,
increasingly visible population, says Meredith Fenton,
program director of Children of Gays and Lesbians
Everywhere. Fenton says in the 1990s the U.S. experi
enced a “gayby boom” as lesbians and gay men learned
more about “their options in creating families,” such as
adoption and donor insemination.
But when they start looking for a child care provider,
some LGBT parents worry about how staff and parents
will respond to their families.
When Cristy Chung was looking for an elementary
school in San Francisco for her six-year-old daughter
Olivia, she thought many schools seemed unfriendly to
her lesbian-headed family. At one school she asked the
principal whether he could ensure Olivia’s safety as a
child of lesbian parents. The response: “I don’t know.”
EFFECTS ON KIDS
“Most child care programs are kind of oblivious to
the concerns (of lesbian or gay parents),” says Judy
Kriege, technical assistant at BANANAS, a Bay Area
child care resource and referral organization.
But that creates problems for their kids, says Lesser:
“(When) teachers talk about the world and you’re
excluded, it gives the message that there’s something
wrong with your family,”
Some children run into more obvious rejection.
When Jennifer Drury moved to Santa Barbara from
Sacramento, her daughter was happy playing with a
neighbor the same age—until the child’s mother found
out that Drury had a lesbian partner, and “the communi
cation stopped.” Drury fears that her daughter could
also run into discrimination in child care and at school.
“A child blossoms ‘hen they are affirmed as an indi
vidual,” says Rocky Morrison, executive director of Our
Family Coalition, a civil rights organization for LGBT
families, and that “extends to affinning the family.”
WARM WELCOME
Some preschools have spearheaded the movement to
create an LGBT-friendly environment.
Meredith Steiner, a lesbian mother, says she was
close to tears at a prospective parents’ meeting at Glen
Ridge Cooperative Nursery School in San Francisco. “I
was really moved,” she says, when a staff member
emphasized that the program welcomes all types of
families and said she herself was a lesbian.
Glen Ridge features books representing LGBT fam
ilies and steers clear of exclusive holidays like Mothers’
Day or Fathers’ Day. Parents, both straight and gay,
work with the children in the classrooms. “Because we
have several gay and lesbian parents in the school, (no
child) ever says, ‘He can’t have two moms,” says
Director Mame Campbell Salin.
In San Francisco’s Pacific Primary School, one-fifth
of the parents are lesbian or gay, and tours and
brochures make a point of welcoming “gay and lesbian
families.” Children are encouraged to talk about their
families, and family photos are displayed on classroom
walls.
“We don’t make children feel that there’s something
unusual about their family structure,” says Director
Belann Giarretto. So family diversity becomes a “natu
ral part of the play”—kids playing house might create a
family with two mommies or other nontraditional pat
terns.
IMPORTANT EVERYWHERE
Creating LGBT-friendly early childhood programs
may be more difficult outside gay-friendly San
Francisco. Central Valley Head Start child care coordi
nator Amy Mauro says many people in rural communi
ties “don’t believe (lesbian and gay parents) really exist
in their area.” Some child care providers, says.Giarretto,
may shy away from raising the issue for fear of offend
ing other parents—or gay parents themselves.
But even if a child care program has no openly
LGBT families, Mauro says, it’s important to talk about
“Just because there’s no (openly)
all types of famili
gay parents in their center doesn’t mean they’re not
going to meet children with gay parents later on, or
become gay themselves.”
And “what we do in early childhood affects a child’s
elementary school experience,” says Pacific Primary
teacher Brian Silveira. He recalls learning in the school
yard that “it wasn’t OK to be a ‘faggot.” That lesson
became painful later on, “when I came to the realization
that I was gay.”
Early childhood programs, Silveira says, can build
more positive attitudes because “we get (children)
before they’ve experienced a lot of homophobia.”
Welcoming all families in early
childhood programs
• Evaluate your curriculum. Do some
books show LGBT families? Do posters or
photos reflect family diversity?
• Welcome input from LGBT families. If
no families in your program are openly
gay, contact LGBT organizations (see
“Resources”).
• Explicitly welcome gay and lesbian
families in your publications and tours.
• Make sure children feel comfortable
sharing about their families. Respond
naturally to artwork or play portraying
LGBT families.
• Be aware of language. Don’t assume all
children have a “mommy” and “daddy.”
Use terms like “parent” or “family”—in thés
classroom and in any materials or forms
for families.
• Be proactive about stepping in to respond
to teasing or blatant bias.
• Be aware that certain holidays like
Mothers’ Day or Fathers’ Day may leave
out children with alternative families.
• Try to get all families involved in the life
of your program.
• Make sure your anti-discrimination
policy includes sexual orientation and
gender identity and applies to staff as
well as families.
Resources
• LBGT Early Childhood Education Initiative,
Louise Rush, Project Coordinator, Our Family
Coalition, 415-981-1960, or e-mail
ECEourFamily.org
Sources: Rocky Morrison, Our Family
Coalition; Lauren Wyeth, Families of Pride;
Judy Kriege, BANANAS; Pacific Primary
• Pacific Pride Foundation, 805-963-3636
• Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere,
415-861-KIDS (5437), www.colage.org
.4
Breathing easier
Parents andheaIth educators offer tips for managing children’ asthma
By Jessine Foss
isa Gill suspected that her children, ages four and two,
had asthma after they were repeatedly hospitalized for
breathing problems. “(Doctors) would soy ‘It’s just a
cough,” recalls Gill. But because she has asthma herself, she
“pushed the issue” and found out, “it is asthma.”
Asthma is a “growing epidemic,” says Anne Kelsey Lamb,
director of the Regional Asthma Management and Prevention
Initiative. The increase is greatest for children under five and
children of color. Possible reasons include air pollution, indoor
allergens, and increasing obesity, which is linked to asthma.
Asthma, a chronic disease that causes breathing problems,
can be life-threatening. It “influences all of your life,” says
Maria Elena Alioto, who has asthma, has a son with asthma,
and works as associate clinical researcher at UC San Francisco.
“Vacations get cancelled, children miss school, you worry
about (paying for) medication. But, she adds, “there are things
you can do.”
L
Learn about possible signs of
asthma
Talk with your pediatrician if your child has a persis
tent ‘cough, wheezes, or is often out of breath (especial
ly after exercising). Children may also say their chest
feels tight. “Colds can have asthma-like symptoms, but
when the cold gets better, the symptoms go away,” adds
Alioto.
Talk with your pediatrician
“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I think my child has asth
ma,” says Gill. If the doctor prescribes medication,
make sure you understand how it should be taken, what
side effects it could have, and how to use asthma equip
ment, such as inhalers, peak flow meters (that measure
how well a child is breathing), and nebulizers (for chil
dren too young for an inhaler). Discuss any concerns
about the medication or any home remedies you’re
using. Kati Baker, whose two children have asthma, adds
that parents should ask about asthma triggers, signs of
bad air days, and exercise.
Control asthma with
medication
Children with severe asthma often take daily “con
troller” medication in addition to “rescue” medication
for asthma attacks, which children with milder asthma
also use. Gill says her son rarely has symptoms since
he’s been taking controller medication—but he always
has his rescue inhaler with him. “It’s hard to get (my
two-year-old daughter) to take her (controller)
medicine,” she adds. “Some days I want to say ‘let’s not
deal with it,’ but it wifi be a lot worse if we don’t.”
Most health insurance (including Medi-Cal and
Healthy Families) covers some asthma medications—
and a new law requires them to cover children’s asthma
equipment. “It’s still a financial burden,” says Baker.
“The co-pay for my (son’s medications) has gotten up to
Resources
• Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers
of Asthmatics, 800-878-4403,
www.aanma.org, in Spanish at
www.aanma.org/headguarters/
hq_spanish.htm
• American Lung Association of
California, 510-638-5864,
www.californialung.org
• Local asthma coalitions offer free educa
tion, equipment, medication, and referrals.
Contad Community Adion to Fight Asthma,
510-622-4444, www.calasthma.org
• Sample asthma action plan in.English,
Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese at
www.calasthma.org/resources
show_resou rce/65
$l00-$150 a month. I’m a single mom, so it’s been
tough. There have been months I couldn’t afford it and
I would ask my pediatrician for (medication) samples.”
Parents may be able to find help with medication,
transportation, or language barriers through their local
asthma coalition (see resources) or public health depart
ment.
Manage your child’s asthma with
an “asthma action plan”
Develop a personal asthma action plan (see
resources) with your child and doctor. These are often
based on readings from peak flow meters. When the
reading is in the child’s “green zone,” says Syliva
Amaro, manager of the Orange County Breath Mobile,
the child “can work and play just fine.” Yellow means
“Caution, take this medication.” Red is “stop, you need
to get to the doctor or emergency room.”
Reduce asthma triggers
Notice what triggers your child’s symptoms.
Common triggers include allergies to pollen, mold, dust,
cats, dogs, and cockroaches, as well as air pollution,
cigarette smoke, and exercise. “Smoke is a huge issue,”
says Chris Soden, registered nurse and asthma educator.
Experts recommend that parents quit smoking or smoke
outside.
“I vacuum every day,” says Baker, “and dust every
other day. I make sure there’s no mold. We covered
everything (with dust-proof covers)—pillows, mattress.
We have no pets except a lizard.”
“It’s extra effort,” agrees Gill, “but it’s worth it.
When they can’t sleep, you’re up with them. You’re
missing days of work, they’re missing school.”
When a child is having a “bad asthma day,” Soden
adds, make sure the child gets enough water and rest.
During an asthma attack, keep the child calm and
breathing slowly, adds Mildred Flores, health education
assistant for the Riverside Department of Public Health.
Work with schools and child care
Share your asthma action plan with teachers and
child care providers and send medicine to school and
child care—a new law allows school children to carry
and use their inhaler. Gill tells child care providers,
“when he has a continuous cough, my son needs his res
cue inhaler.”
Baker asks teachers to listen to her children “when
they say they aren’t feeling well.” But she recently had
to take her son to the emergency room after he was told
to run a mile on a bad air day. “I complained,” she
recalls, and “now they let him sit out when he’s not feel
ing well.” Her son’s school now has a program of flag
signals for air quality (see “Advocacy”).
Advocacy
Asthma coalitions around the state are
working to improve air qualit housing condi
tions, and care for children with asthma. For
example:
• Schools in Merced and Mariposa coun
ties raise colored flags for air quality—
on “red” days, schools keep all children
indoors; on “orange” days, children with
asthma are offered indoor adivities.
• Community efforts aim to reduce diesel
exhaust, including a recent regulation that
limits school bus idling.
• Advocates work for stronger laws to
protect tenants’ rights to healthful housing.
For more information, contad Community
Action to Fight Asthma, 510-622-4444,
www.calasthma.org
e exercise—in
9
Encoura
moderation
Sometimes “parents are reluctant to let their child
participate in sports,” says Soden, but kids should be
active. “We did things in moderation,” says Baker. “My
son played soccer and my daughter did cheering. There
were days when they couldn’t do it, and that was OK.”
To help prevent asthma attacks, kids can use their
inhaler 15-20 minutes before exercising.
.
-
r
=
Startihg strong
The Kern County First Five School Readiness lnitiativ( ‘helps
kids—and parents—get ready for school
WHAT IS AN
By Claudia Miller
hen Primitivo Cortez be
gan kindergarten, he
could write his name cor
redly and identify shapes and let
ters of the alphabet—even tell
which letters were vowels. “The
teacher was so surprised at how
well he was doing,” says Primitivo’s
mother, Maria Cortez of Delano.
“She’s had him helping the other
children learn their ABCs.”
Thanks to Delano Community
Connections, a Kern County family
resource center, and the Kern
County First Five School Readiness
Initiative, Primitivo and two girls
that Cortez cared for started school
confident and prepared.
The family resource center
(FRC), part of an innovative strat
egy to promote healthy families
and communities, is a warm and
welcoming community hub that
engages families in a variety of
programs and activities that
build on their strengths and meet
basic needs. FRCs respond to
what the community says it needs
and often work in partnership
with other community agencies.
W
z
The School Readiness
Initiative
Transition to school
For an hour each week, Gloria
Mondragon, a school readiness advocate
based at Delano Community Connec
tions, visited the Cortez home. She
helped the children learn to identify col
ors, recognize numbers, and write let
ters. In addition, they read stories, prac
ticeci hopping and skipping, did lots of
art projects—and had homework be
tween sessions to get them used to
kindergarten. The children learned to
“listen to their kindergarten teacher,”
Cortez says, “because they were doing
this with Señora Gloria.”
For two more hours a week, the chil
dren visited a preschool classroom for a
play session. They learned important
social skills, such as sharing and taking
turns.
“A lot of our approach is focused on
the transition (to school) and the child’s
social well-being,” says Julie Parsons of
the Kern County Network for Children,
which includes Delano Community
Connections.
FRCs “a natural fit”
The initiative is part of a statewide
First Five campaign to prepare children
for school by providing educational and
health services to families of preschoolage children. In Kern County, more than
1,000 children from neighborhoods with
the lowest-performing schools have par
ticipated in the last two years.
In many counties the First Five
School Readiness Initiative works
through—or creates—family resource
centers. “It made sense to work with the
family resource centers,” says Parsons.
“(FRCs) have done an excellent job of
building relationships with folks in the
community, so it’s a natural fit. We have
a huge migrant population—they’re not
sure about (government agencies).
We’ve been able to bridge that gap
between families and schools because
(of) the family resource centers.”
“Seeing progress”
Although the program is less than two
years old, “we’re definitely seeing
progress,” says Parsons. Children are
evaluated and “the scores are going up,
especially (for) communication and
problem-solving skills.”
The research shows...
A 2002 University of Michigan study found that
• Children from low-income families and children of color are more like
ly than others to start school behind other kids in their knowledge of
letters, numbers, etc.
Two well-established notional programs provide services similar to the
School Readiness Initiative—home-based support to parents in getting kids
ready for school. Studies of these programs—HIPPY (Home Institute for
Parents of Preschool Youngsters) and PAT (Parents as Teachers)—show that
they help kids succeed:
• By second grade, children in HIPPY families have better school atten
dance and higher test scores than others.
• In third and sixth grades, children from HIPPY families do better in
school than children who did not attend preschool.
• Children from PAT families score higher on kindergarten readiness tests
and on reading, math, and language tests.
• Parents participating in PAT are more knowledgeable about child
development and confident in their parenting skills—and more
involved in their child’s schooling.
For more information, see www.HlPPY.org and www.patnc.org
For more resources, visit www.4children.org
FRC?
Eustalia, another child in the program,
“already can count to 20,” says her moth
er, Claudia Beltran. “She knows all her
letters, and is beginning to read. It all
happened so quickly, it’s almost too
much!”
Beltran says her whole family and the
other children she cares for “have bene
fited because Eustalia speaks such good
English.” Eustalia has already visited her
future school and feels comfortable in a
classroom without her mother, some
thing her older siblings struggled with.
“This program is making my child com
fortable and ready for school,” Beltran
says.
Getting ready for
school: tips for parents
• Talk with your child during
daily activities together.
• Read to your child daily.
• Provide materials for building,
sorting, and drawing.
• Encourage exercise and
throwing, running, jumping,
and climbing.
• Make sure your child has
opportunities to make friends,
play, be creative, and share.
• Encourage your children to
dress and fed themselves
when they are ready.
In the First Five School Readiness
Initiative, Kern County school districts
work with a network of 20 family
resource centers and other agencies
to provide:
• Home visits and a Summer
Bridge program to help children
prepare for school. School readi
ness advocates like Mondragon
are employed by the school dis
trict but work out of family
resource centers.
• Health services: such as fluoride
treatments and referrals to health
clinics for immunizations, dental
exams, and drug and akohol
counseling.
• Parenting education: through
home visits, “we show parents
how to help their child learn,”
says Hope Felix, school readiness
coordinator at Delano
Community Connections. “(We
help) parents feel more comfort
able talking with the teacher at
school.” Parents may be referred
by the school district—or invited
to participate by a family
resource center they’ve visited.
• Support for parents: including
support groups, literacy classes,
and help finding a job or trans
portation to medical appoint
ments. “If parents (say) they’re in
need of food, clothing, or medi
cal attention, (the home visitors)
refer them to the family resource
center,” says Felix. “Families know
they can get all kinds of help.”.
Interviews by Luisa Miller.
• Promote good health.
• Let your child know they are
loved no matter what.
BANANAS, National
Association for the Education of
Young Children, America Reads
Challenge
Sources:
Family Support Works!
is a six-part series supported
by the
Evelyn and Walter HaasJr.
Fund and the
S.H. Cowell Foundation.
For more information contact
Jean Tepperman,
510-444-7136,
aacjean(Ei4children.org
Family resource centers:
“The money is out there!”
•
.
•
•
••
Sustaining family support programs in a time of budget cuts
FOLLOW NEW OPPORTUNI
By Melia Franklin
t’s a bad time to be a family
resource center,” laments the
director of a southern Bay
Area family resource center (FRC)
whose funding was recently slashed
by the county Core funding sources
that have initiated and supported
FRCs in the past—such as Healthy
Start, Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF), and Office
of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP)
funds—have withered away. Mean
while traditional IRC partners—
school districts, cities, and counties—
have their own budget woes and are
also cutting funding to FRCs. Private
foundations are narrowing their
focus and tightening their belts.
• “Before, you could write 10
grants and be assured of some,”
says Mary Jo Buettner, director of
the Chula Vista Coordinating Coun
cil, which operates six FRCs in San
Diego County “Now, you can write
10 or more and not get any.”
But family resource centers can
grow and sustain their programs
even in tough times, say experts
and seasoned FRC directors. “The
money is out there,” says finance
consultant Hansine Fisher. “It’s lust
not where it used to be. You’ve got
to go find it.”
SHOW HOW YOUR PRO
GRAMS SAVE MONEY: “It costs
$60,000 per year to keep a child in a
jj
•
•
group home and $4,000 to provide a
family with prevention services through
a home-visiting program for three or
four months,” says Fisher. FRCs “need
to quantify outcomes in terms of money
saved—and some of these savings
should come back into prevention.”
Adds Sid Gardner, president of
Children and Family Futures in Irvine:
“FRCs have got to think more like
entrepreneurs than grant-chasers and
more strategically than the next $50,000
(grant). They need to do so based on
their own strengths.” For example, if
you can demonstrate to CaIWORKS or
Title I (federally funded education pro
gram) that “you can help families stay
out of that system longer,” you’re more
likely to receive ongoing prevention dol
lars from the public sector.
BUILD A BROAD BASE: “As an
FRC, our very nature makes us broad,”
says Buettuer, who Eakes in a dozen dif
ferent funding sources for the collabora
tive’s after-school and FRC programs.
“It’s hard to channel ourselves” to one
funding source, she says. The key is
“being willing to take little bits from lots
of people. All of the players in the com
munity need to give us support.”
Schools, city, and county agencies are
major funders, but Buettner’s programs
also receive private foundation and state
money as well.
“We need to engage our community
more broadly,” agrees Teny Shearman,
director of the South Orange County
Family Resource Center. She helped
parents organize a community fundrais
er in May. Parents with small businesses
sold their items—from jewelry to purses
to gourmet food—and donated a portion
of the profits to the FRC.
ASK PARTNERS TO SHARE:
“Whenever you can, try to get your part
ners to take up some of the overhead—
space, equipment, resources, training.
Sharing funding sources, people learn
that everybody’s got something different
1
(to offer),” says Fisher.
‘We’re tapping into every grant-writ
er for each of our agencies,” agrees
Shearman. “Everyone is finding new tal
ents.”
One of South Orange’s partners,
Mission Hospital Regional Medical
Center, as part of its community benefit
program, sets aside a portion of its bud
get to pay the FRC’s rent and utilities
and some staff salaries. Since “nobody is
funding core support,” adds Shearman,
“if an FRC doesn’t have a partner with
resources, they’re just whittling away.”
Effective prevention programs
save money and save lives
Research shows...
• Every $1 invested in substance abuse prevention saves $5.50 in costs
for health core, law enforcement, and incarceration.
• Every $1 invested in quality early childhood care and education saves
$7, by increasing the likelihood that children will be literate, employed,
and enrolled in post-secondary education—and lessE likely to drop out
of school, go on welfare, or be arrested for criminol activity.
• Every $1 invested in vaccinating children against measles, mumps, and
rubella saves 51 6 in direct medical costs to treat those illnesses.
• Every $1 invested in long-term intenaive home visiting saves $3 incosts
for government assistance and criminal justice costs..
Source: Prevention Pays Work Group,
www.wcpcan.wa .govlToolkit/prevention_pays.pdf
Buettner also taps the members of the
coordinating council for resources. “So
many of our partners are writing grants.
They’ll write us in for small amounts to
do a piece of the work.”
STICK TO YOUR MISSION: In its
early years, South Orange FRC received
funding through Families and Com
munities Together (FaC1’), a collabora
tive administered by the county social
service agency. Since the community
has always been “the driving force
behind the FRC,” it was important that
“there was a lot of latitude given for how
you met the needs of the community.”
So. when FaCT funds were limited to
serving only families in the child welfare
system, South Orange FRC turned the
money down.
Although the decision resulted in
some staffing cuts, it ultimately was “a
relief,” says Shearman. ‘We will serve
those families (in CPS)...but we don’t
want this to be all of what we are about.”
Still, she’s worried about a trend in
which FRCs “are less about what the
community is asking for and more about
what (the funder) is driving.”
TAP INTO BIGGER SYSTEMS:
FRCs can enhance the work they do to
support families by linking families to
the “larger pools of resources available to
institutionalized systems”—such as
Medi-Cal, Earned Income Tax Credit,
TANF, and Title I funds. That’s “real
money that is already flowing to the
community,” says Gardner. Making it
your FRC’s business to help families
access these programs, he adds, not only
builds families’ self-sufficiency, but also
increases the credibility and effectiveness
of the FRC—thus making it more fundable (see “Support Systems,” Children’s
Advocate, September-October, 2004,
www.4children.org/news/904fese.htm).
In some cases, these funds can direct
ly support FRC core programs. For
example, school-based FRCs that pro
vide nursing or psychological services to
students receiving Medi-Cal can bill
Medi-Cal for certain administrative
expenses.
TIES: According to Gardner, two new
opportunities offer viable funding strate
gies for FRCs that have been working
successfully in early childhood develop
ment and child abuse prevention. First
Five commissions in many counties are
actively funding—and in some cases
creating—FRCs to implement early
childhood and school readiness pro
grams (see p. 10). In addition, the recent
statewide child welfare redesign offers
opportunities for FRCs to contract with
child welfare agencies to provide early
intervention services to families who are
at risk of becoming involved in the child
welfare system.
Each of these strategies limits the
population served. And county funding
is subject to expanding and contracting
with budget cuts. But according to
Fisher, these institutional ties mean that
“FRCs that are well-positioned”—with a
strong community base and relationships
with local policy makers—”won’t be
abandoned.”
DOCUMENT YOUR OUTCOMES:
Regardless of the funding source, cau
tions Gardner, the key to sustainability is
evidence of outcomes (see “Ivleasuring
Success,” Children’s Advocate, JulyAugust 2004, www.4children.org/news
f704fsw2.htm). “If FRCs don’t have the
outcomes, then these (opportunities)
probably won’t work as sustainabffity
strategies. It turns into last-minute grantchasing.”
Resources
• Children and Family Futures,
714-505-3525,
www.cffutures.com
• First Five California, 916-3230056, www.ccfc.ca.gov
• Hansine Fisher, Finance
Consultant, 530-297-3298
• South Orange County Family
Resource Center, 949-3640500, www.socfrc.org
• Chula Vista Coordinating
Council, 619-422-9208
• Online publication: Financing
family resource centers: A guide
to sources and strategies
www.financeprojectinfo.org/
Publications/family_resource_
centers.pdf
For more resources, visit
www.4children.org
Family Support Works! is a six-part series supported by the
Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the S.H. Cowell Foundation.
For more information contact Jean Tepperman, 510-444-7136,
aacjean(l4children.org
Ben Peterson
M
any children look forward to each
day of school, but many others view
school with apprehension. Frustrated
by their differences fram other students and
difficulties with learning, some children can
become increasingly unhappy and with
drawn. The following children’s books rec
ognize these children, celebrate their differ
ences, inspire them to keep trying, and
remind us that we all learn at different
speeds arid in different ways.
Leo the Late Bloomer, story by
Robert Kraus, illustrations by Jose Aniego
(Wmdmill Books, 1971). When Leo was
growing up, it seemed he couldn’t do any
thing right. He couldn’t write, read, draw,
or talk as well as the other animals. His
father worried, but his mother was confi
dent, explaining that Leo was just simply a
“late bloomer.” Sure enough “in his own
good time,” Leo bloomed. He learned to
read, write, draw, and talk This simple tale
has become a consistent favorite among
children and adults for the last 30 years
because it reminds everyone that they
should not lose faith: all tigers—and chil
dren—learn in their “own good time.”
Ages four to eight.
Thank You, Mr. Falker, story and
illustrations by Patricia Polacco (Philo-mel
Books, 1998). Although she grew up lov
ing the books her family would read to her,
Tricia found it difficult to learn to read
when she started school. She could draw
well, but when it came to reading, it
seemed that everyone understood but her.
By the first grade, she began to feel differ
ent; she began to feel dumb. When she
entered Mt Falker’s class a few years later,
she hated school, especially reading aloud
because the kids would laugh at her. One
day, after asking her to write letters down
quickly, Mr. Falker told Tricia he knew
what was wrong. She wasn’t dumb; she
just saw letters differently than other sm
dents. He began a program for Tricia with
the reading specialist, and after a few
months of hard work, she was able to open
a book and understand it. At the end of this
heartwarming story, Patricia Polacco
reveals that Tricia was her as a child. Mr.
Falker represents the teacher who helped
her overcome her learning problems and
begin her journey of learning through liter
acy. Ages five through ten.
Once Upon a Time, story and illus
trations by Niki Daly (Fan-ar, Straus, and
Giroux, 2003). Sane, a young South
African girl, dislikes school because she
can’t read as well as the other children, and
several of them laugh at her. She does
enjoy weekends though, especially Sun
days, which she spends with her Aunt
Annie, sitting in her rusted-up old car lis
tening to her “once upon a time” stories.
One day, Sane finds an old copy of Cin
derella and listens to Annie read the story.
She then practices reading it herself over
and over again. Sane slowly begins to gain
confidence in her own reading skills. She
even begins to recognize the parallels
between the story and her own life. When
Miss November, the school principal,
comes to her class, Sane surprises and
impresses everyone by successfully read
ing aloud. Daly’s gorgeous illustrations of
the South African landscape and charming
characters like Aunt Annie add depth and
color to this Cinderella-esque tale that
emphasizes the wonders of reading and
inspires children to continue to practice.
Ages four to eight.
.
The Don’t Give Up Kid, story by
Jeanne Gehret, M.A., illustrations by
Sandra Ann DePauw (Harcourt Brace,
1996). Alex wants to be a famous inventor
like Thomas Edison, but in school every
thing goes wrong. He can’t concentrate and
the kids laugh at him when he gets words
mixed up as he reads. After talking with a
psychiatrist, he discovers that the reason
words always get mixed up is that he learns
differently than other children. Letters
jump around for him and he sees every
thing at once. While working with a spe
cialist to find new ways to learn, Alex
meets lots of children with learning differ
ences. When he gets frustrated, he remem
bers what Thomas Edison said about an
invention that took 10,000 attempts: he had
succeeded because he’d found 10,000
ways that didn’t work. Through Alex’s
story, Gehret shows that learning differ
ences are only differences and, with prac
tice, children can overcome their initial
frustration and difficulty. Ages four to
eight.
Eagle Eyes: A Child’s Guide to
Paying Attention, story by Jeanne
Gehret, M.A., illustrations by Susan
Covert (Verbal Images Press, 1991). In this
children’s book, also by Jeanne Gehret, a
child again learns to succeed after the ini
tial frustrations of a learning difference.
Ben has trouble concentrating. Feeling
clumsy, fearing that he’s frustrating others,
Ben feels bad about himself. After a doctor
diagnoses him with Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) and recommends ways to
help him concentrate, Ben begins to
improve his self-esteem. He learns songs
to help him with his morning routine; he
listens to soft music to help him relax at
night; and he plays the “Feelings Game” to
help him understand other people’s emo
tions. In these ways, Ben begins to pay
attention to what’s important; and, in the
end, it is Ben’s difference that make him
the story’s hero. Ages four to eight.
Sit Still, story and ifiustrations by Nancy
Carlson (Viking, 1996). Patrick knows 101
different ways to sit in a chait In fact, it’s
because he sits in 101 positions that every
one (the bus driver, his mother, his sister, his
teacher, and his dad) is always telling him to
“sit still.” When Patrick’s doctor explains
that Patrick can’t sit still, his mother devel
ops a plan to keep Patrick busy. She fills his
days with activities: he helps her cook,
mows the lawn, sings in the choir, and
walks to school. His teacher also gives him
activities to do when he finishes his work.
Now Patrick knows 101 things to do while
not sitting still. Through Patrick, Carlson
shows that sometimes the best answer for
children who cannot sit still is to provide
them with reasons why they don’t have to.
Ages four to eight.
David Goes to School, story and
illustrations by David Shannon (Blue Sky
Press, 1999). David always hears the word
“no.” No yelling. No pushing. No running
in the halls. Adults tell David to sit down,
to raise his hand, to pay attention, and not
to chew gum. Always getting into trouble,
David behaves the way that all students
know they shouldn’t and, perhaps because
of this, children love reading about him.
Through Shannon’s inventive and enter
taining ifiustrations, children laugh as they
recognize both David’s actions and the
adults’ reactions. While this book is light
hearted, it provides an opportunity for par
ents and children to discuss David’s
behavior in school and the reasons why the
adults are always having to say, “No,
David.” Ages four to eight.
LIBROS EN ESPANOL
Leo, el retoño tardIo, cuento de
Robert Kraus, con ilustraciones de José
Aruego, traducido al castellano por Teresa
Miawer (Lectorum Publications, 2001).
Cuando Leo estaba creciendo, parecla que
no podIa hacer nada bien. No podia
escribir, m leer, m dibujar ni hablar tan bien
como los otros animales. Su papa se pre
ocupaba, pero su mama tenIa confianza en
dl, explicando que Leo era simplemente
“an retoflo tardlo”. Sin lugar a dudas, “a su
debido tiempo”, leo maduró. Aprendid a
leer, escribir, dibujar y hablar. Este cuento
simple se ha mantemdo como favorito de
nifios y adultos durante los tIltimos 30 afios
porque recuerda a todos que no han de
perder su fe: todos los tigres—y también
los nifios—aprenden “a su debido tiempo”.
Edad apropriada: de cuatro a ocho afios.
Gracias, Sr. Falker, cuento e ilustra
ciones de Patricia Polacco, traducido al
castellano por Teresa Miawer (Lectorum
Publications, 2001). Aunque a Tricia le
gustaban mucho los libros que su faniilia
le leIa mientras estaba creciendo, le resultó
difIcil aprender a leer al comenzar la
escuela. Tricia podia dibujar muy bien,
pero cuando le tocaba leer parecIa que
todós entendIan menos ella. Cuando llegO
a primer grado comenzó a sentirse difer
ente y a pensar que era tonta. Al entrar a la
clase del Sr. Falker unos afios despuds,
Tnicia odiaba Ia escuela—especialmente
cuando tenla que leer en voz alta, porque
los nifios se relan de ella. Un dla, despuds
de que el Sr. Falker le pidiera a Tricia que
escribiera rdpidamente unas letras, éste le
dijo que ya habIa descubierto que era lo
que andaba mal: no es que ella fuese tonta,
sino que simplemente veIa las letras de un
modo diferente al de los demds estudi
antes. El Sr. Falker hizo que Tnicia comen
zara an programa con un especialista en
lectura; despüés de unos pocos meses de
trabajo duro, ya podia abnr el libro y
entender lo que estaba leyendo. Al fin de
esta conmovedora historia, Patricia Polac
co revela que Tricia era ella misma cuando
era nifia y que el Sr. Falker representaba al
maestro que le ayudó a superar su proble
ma de aprendizaje y a abnrle el camino
para aprender a leer y escribir. Edad apro
priada: de cinco a diez afios.
David va al colegio, cuento e ilustra
ciones de David Shannon, traducido al
castellano por Teresa Miawer. (Editorial
Everest, 1999). David siempie escucha la
palabra “no”: no gritar, no empujar, no con-er
en los pasillos. Los adultos le piden a David
que se siente, que no masque chicle, que 1ev-
CHILDREN’S ADVDCATES RDUNDTABLE
A CDALITIDN DF CHILD ADVDCACY DRGANIZATIDNS THAT MEETS DNCE A MDNTH IN SACRAMENTD
UNA CALIDIthN DE DRGANIZACIDNES UE ABDGAN PUP LDS DEPECHUS
Bills on
children’s
issues: this
year’s
scorecard
ROUNDTABLE PRIORITY BILLS
This year the Children’s Advocates
Roundtable sent letters to the legislature
in support of six priority bills:
Signed into law
AB 129 (Cohn)—Foster care!
juvenile justice: allows children to
stay in the foster care system when they
enter the juvenile justice system, so
they have a place to go back to when
they are released.
AB 7858 (Steinberg)—Non
public schools: sets standards for
nonpublic schools attended by children
in the foster care system.
AB 1639 (Cohn)—Education!
CalWORKS: ends the two-year limit
on education for parents in CaIWORKs.
Vetoed by governor
AB 2032 (Lieber)—Minimum
wage: would have raised the
California minimum wage to $7.75 an
hour by 2006.
SB 1343 (Escutia)—lnfant!
toddler master plan: would have set
up a system for creating a master plan
for child care for infants and toddlers.
Voted down in the Assembly
SB 1556 (Escutia)—School
nutrition standards: would have
established nutritional standards for all
foods in schools. This would have
strengthened an earlier law by extend
ing it to high schools and requiring
schools to meet nutritional standards
even if there’s nO increase in funding.
OTHER BILLS OF INTEREST
Signed into law
AB 1196 (Cedillo)—Express
Lane to health insurance: makes it
easier to enroll kids in Healthy Families
and other insurance programs by using
information from school lunch applica
tions, with parents’ permission.
AB 2185 (Frommer)—Asthma
“Streamlining” California government:
How would the proposals affect kids?
When Governor Schwarzenegger
was elected, he promised to take a new
look at how California government
works, then streamline it to be more
efficient and effective. His California
Performance Review (CPR) recommen
dations were released August 3, recom
mending more than 1,000 changes in
280 areas, including:
• Moving child care for families on
welfare from the Department of
Education to the Department of
Social Services
• Reducing rates paid to licenseexempt child care providers
a Requiring license-exempt child care
• providers to get health and safety
training
• Requiring that children entering
kindergarten be five by September 1
• Simplifying enrollment in Medi-Cal
• Combining the processing of Medi
Cal, Ca1WORKs, and food stamp
applications and contracting this job
out to a private company (eliminat
ing nearly 17,000 jobs)
• Issuing Medi-Cal II) cards—patients
would have to be fingerprinted at
each doctor’s visit
• Developing county foster care report
cards
• Appointing one state leader for fos
ter care
PROPUESTAS DE LEY
PRIORITARIAS PARA LA
“MESA REDONDA”
Este aflo la coalicidn de organiza
ciones abogando por temas infantiles
(Children s Advocates Roundtable o
“Mesa Redonda”) envió cartas a la
Legislatura en apoyo de seis propuestas
prioritarias de ley:
Sancionadas como ley
AB129 (Cohn)—”Foster Care”
AB 712 (Steinberg)—-(Jniversal.
preschool: would have ordered the
California Children and Families
Commission to study the costs and
workforce needs for creating a system
of voluntary universal preschool in
California.
no piiblicas: establece estándares
para las escuelas no ptiblicas a las que
asisten los jóvenes en el sistema de
cuidado de crianza.
Vetoed by governor
SB 1897 (Burton)—Child care
reform: would have required the
Department of Education to make annu
al studies of the supply and demand for
child care, to create a child care workforce development plan, and to study
the state’s rates for subsidized child
care and recommend changes. It also
would have allowed family child care
providers to bargain collectively with
the state’s subsidized child care system.
SB 1555 (Speier)—Maternily
coverage: would have required health
coverage to include maternity benefits.
a Eliminating county offices of
education
a Replacing the elected Superintendent
of Public Instruction with a
Secretary of Education appointed by
the governor
In August and September the CPR
anel held several hearings on these pro
posals. The governor is expected to
include many of them in his budget
proposal in January.
Advocates for chil
dren have welcomed
some of these propos
als and oppose many
others. For statements
on the CPR by chil
dren’s advocacy orga
nizations, go to:
AB 1858 (Steinberg).—Escuelas
AB 1639 (Cohn)—Educación
dentro de CaIWORKS: pone fin al
lurnite de dos afiospara la educacidn de
padres que se encuentren dentro de
Ca1WORKs.
Vetadas por el gobernador
AB 2032 (Lieber)—Salario
minima: hubiera elevado el salario
minimo de Califonia a $7,75 Ia horn en
el aflo 2006.
SB 1343 (Escutia)—Plan mae
stro para ninos de cero a tres
años: hubiera establecido uti sistema
pars crear un plan maestro de cuidado
Or call:
• Western Center on Law and
Poverty, 916-442-0753
• California Child Care Resource and
Referral Network, 415-882-0234
• California Association for the
Education of Young Children,
916-486-7750
a Children’s Defense
Fund,
www.cdfca.org
a County Welfare
Directors
Association,
www.cwda.org
• Service Employees
International
Union, www.seiu
cal.org
Propuestas de ley sobre temas
infantiles: tanteador para
las elecciones de este año
(Cuidado de crianza),’Justicia
juvenil: permite a los menores per
manecer en el sistema de cuidado de
crianza al ingresar al sistema juvenil de
justicia, de modo que puedan tener un
hogar al cual volver cuando recuperen
la libertad.
supplies: requires health coverage to
include children’s inhalers and other
asthma supplies.
IDE LOS NINOS, LA DUAL SE RENE UNA VEZ POR MES EN SACRAMENTO
espoño/
Traducción al castellano por
Lucrecia Miranda
de nihos entre cero y tres afios de edad.
voluntario en California.
Rechazadas en Ia Asamblea
SB 1897 (Burfon)—Reforma
del sistema de cuidado infantil:
SB 1556 (Escutia)—Estándares
de nutrición en las escuelas:
hubiera establecido estándares de nuth
ción para todas las comidas disponibles
en la escuela. Esta propuesta hubiera
fortalecido una ley anterior extendién
dola a las escuelas secundarias y
requiriendo que todas las escuelas cum
plan con los estándares de nutrición,
independientemente de aumentos en los
fondos de subsidio.
OTRAS PROPUESTAS
DE INTERES
Sancionadas como ley
AB 1196 (Cedillo)—.”LInea
Rápida” para los seguros de
salud: facifita la inscripción de los
nifios en el programa Familias
Saludables y otros programas de salud
utilizando, con autorización de los
padres, información proveniente de las
solicitudes de almuerzo escolar.
AB 2185 (Frommer)—Recursos
para el asma: requiere cobertura de
salud para incluir inhaladores y otros
recursos para el asma infantil.
Vetadas por el gobernador
AB 712 (Steinberg)—
Preescolar universal: hubiera
establecido que la Comisión para Nifios
y Familias deCalifornia estudiara los
costos y requenmientos laborales para
crear un sistema preescolar universal y
hubiera requerido que el Departmento
de Educación llevara a cabo estudios
annales sobre la oferta y demanda de
servicios de cuidado infantil, creara un
plan de desarrollo de Ia fuerza de traba
jo en el sector del cuidado de nifios,
estudiara los Indices de subsidio estatal
para el cuidado infantil y recomendara
los cambios necesarios. También
hubiera perimtido que los proveedores
familiares pudieran negociar colectiva
mente con el sistema estatal los subsid
ios para el cuidado infantil.
SB 1555 (Speier)—Cobertura
de maternidad: hubiera requerido
que la cobertura de salud incluyera ben
eficios por maternidad.
Was our special
election issue helpful?
We really want to
know what you think!
Please fill out our online
survey at
www.4children.org
____
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CHILDREN’S ADVDGATES RDLJNDTABLE
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“Racionalización” del gobierno de California: e3pQñoI
cComo afectarian a los ninos estas propuestas?
• Requerimiento a los proveedores
exentos do licencia de obtener forma
ción en salud y seguridad.
• Requerirnientos do edad para los
niños quo ingresen al jardfn do infan
cia, quienes habrlan de tenor cinco
años cumplidos antes del 1 do sop
tiembre
• Simplificación do la inscripción en
Moth-Cal.
• Nombramiento do un funcionario
estatal a la cabeza del area de cuida
do do crianza.
• EliminaciOn de las oficinas de edu
caciOn do los condados.
• Reemplazo del superintendente de
Enseñanza Páblica por un secretario
do Educación nombrado por ol gob
emador.
Cuando el gobemador Schwar
zenegger resultó elegido en California
prometió revisar el funcionamiento del
estado y “racionalizarlo” para hacerlo
más efectivo y eficiente. Las recomen
daciones del programa de Revision del
Desempeflo do Califoinia (CPR, segOn
las iniciales del programa en ingles)
fueron publicadas el 3 de agosto, pro
poniendo más de 1000 cambios en 280
areas, incluyendo:
• Transferencia del cuidado de nifios
pam fainilias en asistencia ptiblica, el
cual pasarIa del Departmento de
Educación al Departmento do
Servicios Sociales.
• Reducción del monto pagado actual
mente a los proveedores do cuidado
de nifios exentos de licencia.
41 lIIIiW!I ‘]I_ .YL.1 ii’II IIiI
El subcomité de Children’s Advocates Roundtable sobre cuidodo de crian
za está efectuando planes para instruir a los legisladores sobre temas vinculados
a 1 cuidado de crianza y contribuir ala fonnación de nuevos lideres legislativos.
Para obtener más informaci6n sobre éste y otros proyectos del subcomité con
uictese con Debra Back, 619-260-4806, [email protected].
Prevent Child Abuse California (Prevenga el Makrato Infantil—California)
llevará a cabo este mes dos conferencias sobre politicas ptIblicas: el 9 de noviem
bre en el norte de California y el 30 de noviembre en el sur de California. Para
obtener más inforruación contáctese con el director de la organización, Scott
Moak: tel. 916-244-1945, o [email protected].
Nuevas leyes aprobadas por el gobernador Schwarzenegger incluyen:
SB 1612 (Speier), la cual restablece los $17 millones de presupuesto que el
gobernador babfa recortado previamente para trabajadores sociales de servicios
de protección infantil.
SB 1313 (Kuehi) y AB 2531 (Bates): ambas fortalecen los requeriniientos
sobre informantes obligatorios en casos do sospeeha de maltrato infantil.
AR 488 (Parra): expande la Ley Megan para publicar información en internet
sobre convictos en causas de crfmenes sexuales.
AR 2010 (Hancock): establece un programa pioto en los condados do
Alameda y Solano para aumentar el costo de las licencias cle matrimonlo, reg
istro de nacimientos y defunciones, para pagar por Ia prevenciOn, intervención y
procesos judiciales en casos de violencia familiar.
Prepuestas de ley vetadas por el gobernador Schwarzenegger incluyen:
AR 2032 (Lieber) sobre el salario mmnimo (ver “tanteador”, página 14)
AR 2283 (Chiu), Ia cual hubiera creado un sistema 211 pam referir cientes a
los servicios comunitarios.
• Combinar el procesaniiento de las
solicitudes para Medi-Cal,
Ca1WORKs y bonos para alimentos,
y otorgar estas funciones a una corn
paula privada (eliminando unos
17.000 puestos de rabajo).
• Expedir tarjetas identificatorias de
Medi-Cal. Se cotejarlan las huellas
digitales del paciente cada vez que
éste visitara al medico.
• Crear en cada condado tarjetas de
evaluación para los participantes en
el sistema cuidado de crianza.
Durante los meses de agosto y sop
tiembre, el panel do CPR llevó a cabo
una serie de audiencias ptiblicas sobre
las propuestas mencionadas más aniba.
Se espera que el gobemador incluya
buena parte de ellas en su propuesta de
presupuesto en enero del aflo próximo.
Grupos abogando por los derechos
de los nifios han acogido positivamente
ciertas propuestas, si bien se han
opuesto a algunas de ellas. Si desea
tener acceso a algunas de las posiciones
adoptadas por las organizaciones traba
jando en temas infantiles respecto de las
www.cdfca.org
County Welfare Directors
Association (Asociación de Directores
de Asistencia Páblica en los
Condados): www.cwda.org
Sewice Employees International
Union (Sindicato Internacional de
Empleados de Sérvicios): www.seiucal.
También puede ilamar a:
Western Center on Law and Poverty
(Centro del Oeste sobre Leyes y
Pobreza): 916-442-0753.
California Child Care Resource and
Referral Network (Centro de Recursos
y Referencia de California sobre el
Cuidado de Niños): 415-882-0234.
• California Association for the
Education of Young Children
(Asociación de California para Ia
Educación Infantil): 916-486-7750.
TraducciOn al castellono por
Lucrecia Miranda
V
Children’s Advocate,
a bimonthly newsmagazine,
provides in-depth coverage of issues
affecting children and families,
including child care, health, educa
tion, child welfare, poverty, violenceprevention, and more.
SPECiAL REPORTS:
Communities
Committed to Children (16 pp.)
and Pathways to Parent
Leadership/Senderos al
Lederazgo de Padres (48 pp.)
Roundtable subcommittee on f
-
Children’s Defense Fund (Fondo
para Ia Defensa de los Niños):
Action Alliance for (hildren
Publications
I
-
propuostas do CPR (en ingles) vaya a:
care is
issues an
tion c
-
try to develand other
Children’s
Lii.
month: in Northern California on November 9 and in Southern California
November 30. For more information contact director Scott Moak,
916-244-1945, smoak@ capcsac.org.
New laws signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger include:
SB 1612 (Speier), which restores the $17 million the governor previously
cut out of the budget for child protective services social workers
SB 1313 (Kuehl) and iB 2531 (Bates), both of which strengthen require
ments about mandated reporters pf suspected child abuse
AB 488 (Paim), which expands Megan’s Law to post information about
convicted sex offenders on the Internet
AB 2010 (Hancock). which sets up a pilot program in Alameda and Solano
counties to increase fees for maniage licenses and birth and death records to
pay for prevention, intervention, and prosecution of family violence.
-
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Lowest-scoring schools: more resources
and attention
Governor Schwarzenegger and the American Civil Liberties Union recently agreed on a
settlement of a four-year-old lawsuit, Williams vs. California (see Children’s Advocate arti
cle at www.4children. orgJnews/l0lshock.htm), which charged the state with failing to pro
vide a decent education in many schools attended mainly by low-income children of color.
Five bills, nOw signed into law, implement that agreement. These bills
• set standards for school buildings, teacher quality, and books and other supplies
• require county superintendents to visit low-performing schools to make sure they are
meeting these standards and educating parents about their childin’s rights
• require school districts and county offices of education to make sure teachers in lowperforming schools are qualified to teach the classes they’re assigned to
• make it easier for qualified out-of-state teachers to teach in Califortha
• provide up to $800 million for emergency school building repairs and $25 million to
assess the buildings in low-performing schools
• phase out some types of year-round schools by 2012.
For more info, contact Public Advocates: Liz Gufflen, 916-442-3385 or John Affeldt,
415-431-7430.
Escuelas con menor rendimiento
académico: más atención y recursos
,DcoI
La organización Child Development Policy Institute (Instituto de Politicas para el
Desairollo Infantil) y On the Capitol Doorstep (A las Puertas del Capitolio) 10 invitan a
asistir a uno de sus tafleres anuales sobre presupuesto y poifticas estatales a ilevarse a cabo
el dIa 20 de enero en Sacramento, 25 de enero en Oakland, 27 de enero en Los Angeles ó
20 de enero en San Diego, entre las 8:30 de la mañana y las 2 de la tarde.
El costo de los tafleres es de $120 si Ia inscripción se efectila antes del 7 de enero y de
$130 desputis de dicha fecha.
Para obtener más información o para registrarse a través de internet dirIjase al sitio web
www.otcdkids.comfBudget.html o ilame a 916-442-5431.
Seguro de salud para proveedores
familiares de cuidado de ninos
e3PQñOI
California Association for Family Child Care (asociacidn de California
que agrupa a los proveedores familiares de cuidado de niños) está invi
tando a sus miembros a registrarse para el seguro colectivo de salud (el
cual incluye cobertura para servicios de odoniologIa, salud visual y dis
capacidad) para proveedores de Ia asociación, familiares inmediatos y
empledos. Al momento de cerrar esta edición, los proveedores solo
podlan registrarse durante el mes de noviembre. Para obtener más
informacidn, o si decide inscribirse en Ia asociación, comunIquese con
Maxine Gervin. lnformaciOn de contacto: 831-449-7017; maxinefcc(
earthlink.net; www.cafcc.or9
TraducciOn ol castellano par Lucrecia Miranda
.
.
._j
Protest against education budget cuts at the capitol. / Protesta contra los recortes al pre
supuesto educativo en el Capitolio.
Recommendations for kids’ fitness
El gobernador Schwarzenegger y el Sindicato Americano por las Libertades
Civiles han resuelto recientemente los términos legales de un juicio pendiente desde
hacIa cuatro afios, Williams vs. California, el cual demandaba al estado por no
proveer una educación adecuada en èscuelas sirviendo en su mayorIa a nifios de
color y minorias de bajos recursos. Cinco propuestas, en la actualidad sancionadas
como ley, han puesto en vigor este acuerdo. Las mencionadas propuestas
• establecen estándares para los edificios escolares, calidad de los maestros, libros y
otros recursos educativos.
• requieren que los superintendentes del condado visiten las escuelas de bajo
rendiniiento acaddmico para emplazarlas a cumplir con los nuevos estándares e
• instruir a los padres sobre los derechos educativos de sus hijos.
• requieren que los disiritos escolares y las oficinas de educación del condado se
aseguren de que los maestros de las escuelas de bajo renclimiento académico ten
gan Ia fonnación necesaria para enseñar las clases a las que esttin asignados.
• facilitar el proceso para que maestros calificados de otros estados puedan dar
clases en California.
• proveer fondos por un valor de hasta 800 miflones de dólares para reparaciones de
emergencia en las escuelas y $25 millones para evaluar los edificios escolares de
establecimientos educativos de bajo rendimiento académico.
• eliminar gradualmente ciertos tipos de escuelas de ciclo anual completo para el
año 2012.
Para mas informacion ponerse en contacto con Public Advocates: Liz Guillen, 916442-3385 o John Affeldt, 415-431-7430.
Talleres sobre polIticas pôblicas
estatales para el presupuesto
sobre el desarrollo y eI cuidado
de niños del año 2005
IL•
l.,_&
The Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Envronments has come up
with a list of recommendations for helping kids increase physical activity:
1. Support mandatory physical education and health education programs in
California.
2. Prnvide a diversity of physical activity opportunities in neighborhood and com
munity settings.
3. Support walking and biking in every neighborhood.
4. Ensure that public parks, trails, and recreation areas are fully accessible, afford
able, and well maintained. Fully fund departments of parks and recreation.
5. Incorporate principles of active living into city master plans.
For more strategies to improve physical activity in communities and workplaces,
see the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool at
www.eatbettennovemore.org.
Recomendaciones para
Ia salud fIsica de los niños
La Alianza Esiratdgica pars una AlimentaciOn y un Entomo FIsico Saludables ha
elaborado una serie de recomendaciones para ayudar a los niiios a aurnentar sus nive
les de actividad fIsica:
1. Apoyar la educación fIsica obligatoria en California e incorporar la prueba de
estado ffsico dentro de los exámenes estandarizados en las escuelas.
2. Proveer oportunidades diversas de actividad fIsica en barrios y comurndades.
3. Apoyar actividades tales como caminar y andar en bicicleta en todos los barrios.
4. Asegurar que todos los parques ptiblicos, senderos y areas de recreación sean
absolutamente accesibles, gocen de buen manteninnento y sean econóitncamente
asequibles para el piiblico. Subvencionar en su totalidad el Departamento de
Parques y Recreación de California.
5. Incorporar principios para un estilo de vida activo en los planes generales urbanos
de las ciudades.
6. Mejorar las oportumdades para Ia actividad fIsica en el lugar de trabajo.
Para obtener més información (en inglés) sobre estrategias para mejorar la
actividad fIsica en las comunidades y en puestos de trabajo yea la guIa
comunitaria de recursos ambientales para la actividad y la nutrición en el sitio web
www.eatbettermovemore.org
2005 Child Care and Development
State Budget Policy Workshops
The Child Development Policy Institute and On the Capitol Doorstep invite you to
attend one of their annual state budget and policy workshops, to be held Jan. 20 in
Sacramento, Jan. 25 in Oaldand, Jan. 27 in Los Angeles, and Jan. 28 in San Diego, 8:30
am to 2 pm.
Cost is $120 before Jan. 7, $130 after Jan. 7. For more information or to register
online, go to www.otcdkids.com/Budget.html or call 916-442-5431.
Health insurance for family child care providers
The California Association for Family Child Care is inviting members
to sign up for group health insurance (including dental, vision, and dis
ability coverage), for CAFCC providers., their immediate family members,
and their employees. At press time, providers can only enroll during
November-: For information, or to join CAFCC, contact Maxine Gervin,
831-449-7017, moxinefcc(Eearthlink.net; www.cafcc.org

IN THIS ISSUE / EN ESTE NUMERO Welcoming lesbian/gay

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