CHAC/FIRST 5 Presents: Your
December Overview
Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community
 |
| A few of the SJSU volunteers |
Movetrition Success Movetrition
brought San Jose State
Students together with families to learn about Nutrition while Moving! The
movetrition class was a big success for both families and our SJSU student
volunteers. The class provided an opportunity for students taking child
development classes to get some first-hand experience with toddlers and
preschool aged children, and had to let go of their shyness and be silly with
songs and stories that put them sometimes out of their comfort zone. “At the very beginning many students were nervous about
teaching the class, but all truly blossomed over the course of the 6 weeks
class into wonderful enthusiastic teachers. Their professionalism working with
the families was stellar." Stay tuned for news of Movetrition in
the new year (dates TBD).
Covered
California Presentations
– In partnership with The Health Trust and City of Sunnyvale, we are proud to
host small group meetings to answer your questions about health insurance for
adults. If you are interested in attending a group, please contact us and we
will notify you when we have the next presentation. You can also call directly
to ask questions at 1-800-300-1506. As always, we have people at Mercy Street
you can call for help with children’s insurance. Lily Lai is available by
appointment on Tuesdays, or Ana Moreno Monday-Friday. Services in Spanish,
Mandarin, Vietnamese and English too!
THANK
YOU to the Community Partners, Families and Volunteers who came out to celebrate our
collaborations over the past year. We had representatives from the City of
Mountain View, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, CHAC, Stretch to Kindergarten,
Family Engagement Institute, and Community in Action Team (CAT), Mountain View
Dreamers, and Children’s Dental Group in attendance. A panel of parent
participants, including Priti B, Kimberly C, Esperanza C, Revathi S, Cynthia R,
and Marilu D spoke about how our programs have helped get their children ready
for school. We got to see their passion and appreciation for all the work we
have helped to co-create over the past three years. Community Partner
Agency representatives also took the opportunity to give thanks CHAC and the
families for their collaborative spirit and dedication to community
empowerment. The food was amazing
and included a variety of dishes from all over the world, made by families in
our program.
“I’m Ready for Kindergarten” Program
In August, we launched a new program called “I’m Ready for Kindergarten” at
Vargas Elementary in Sunnyvale. The class, which is almost halfway finished, is
for Spanish speaking children ages 3-5 and their parents. It focuses on
teaching the four critical elements in Kindergarten readiness:
· Social-Emotional
Development
· Self-Care,
Physical Well-being, and Motor Skills
· Language
Development
· Early
Academics
During
the first weeks of the class, parents and children learn together so that
children can get used to the room and the teachers. Then, parents and children
go to their own classrooms. Parents focus on skills to take home to help
reinforce what the children are learning.
“The
program helps the children learn skills, but it also helps parents. Those with
younger children learn that it’s never too early to start teaching and
practicing, and for parents with older ones, they learn it’s never too late,” said
Ana Moreno, Sunnyvale Community Worker and leader of the Vargas “I’m Ready”
program.
The
best part is, thanks to funding from FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, the program is
free! With cuts to so many programs in the county, it is hard for families to
afford preschool and enrichment
programs. Our programs help children who could be left behind.
We
are proud to announce we will be launching two new “I’m Ready” series in 2014
in both Spanish and English. Please see the “What’s New” section for details.
The Season of Giving
This is the time of year when nonprofit organizations receive the most amount of support from community members. We would like to take a moment to offer some gratitude to our families and community members who donated items and funds to our centers this month. In these times with funding decreasing and costs increasing, we will need more support to provide the quality of services that we offer at our centers.
This is the time of year when nonprofit organizations receive the most amount of support from community members. We would like to take a moment to offer some gratitude to our families and community members who donated items and funds to our centers this month. In these times with funding decreasing and costs increasing, we will need more support to provide the quality of services that we offer at our centers.
FIRST 5 funds a large portion
of our programs. In order to sustain all that we must put into our programming, we must seek additional funding in order to continue to be a touchstone for families all over northern
Santa Clara County. With these funds, we are able to expand our services so we may include even more of our
local families, honor our parents'/volunteers' ideas to shape supplemental programs, and increase further community engagement.
Please contact us if you
are interested in supporting our program. You will also find a list of supplies
and items we need in our classrooms or contact Ana Valle for more information.
Thank you!
A big thank
you to Leslie Toy, Mayview
Clinic, James Tank, Margarita Angulo, Nelly Gomez, Santiago Herrera, and
Margarita’s Custom Ruffles for your donations.
Save the Dates!
Here is a list of the
days we will be closed through the end of the year. Please watch our calendars
for unexpected closings, such as teacher illness.
-December 23 – January 3:
Winter Break. All centers closed.
-January 6-10: Staff
in-service week. Classes canceled, office will be open.
-January 20: Martin
Luther King Day. All centers closed.
What’s NEW for Winter?
Mountain View
Holiday/End
of Year Celebration and Volunteer Appreciation on Friday December 13 from 11:00am –
1:00pm. Family potluck luncheon. Please,
no sugary food or beverages.
Children’s
Holiday Concert at
the Holiday Celebration on Saturday December 14 from 4:00pm-6:00pm in the Church
Sanctuary. Classes will rehearse holiday/winter songs in classes and perform
for all of us. Donations will be collected to support Trinity Methodist Church
for their generous gift of the use of their facilities.
I’m
Ready for Kindergarten
English: Starts Monday (in place of Play and
Learn). February 24 – May 19, 2014 (12 weeks)10:00am-12:00pm. See rules and
requirements below.
Spanish: Thursdays starting January 23-March
20 from 10:00am-12:00noon (8 weeks). See rules and requirements below.
Rules and Requirements: A complete list of eligibility and
other agreements for participation can be found here. Registration is
required in advance, space is limited. Class is for children ages 3-5, no
siblings allowed. One parent or caregiver must attend all sessions with the
child. Missed classes may result in being dropped from the class. Free class.
Sunnyvale
Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors Starts Friday January 10 from 9:00-11:00am. 10 weeks of actvities for children and learning for parents about topics that will help prepare children for school. Open doors to your child's success. Topics to include discipline, communication, developmental milestones, language development, early literacy, health & nutrition, and more. Led by Community Worker Francisco Hernandez. In Spanish.
I’m
Ready for Kindergarten Presentation at Sunnyvale Library Wednesday January 22 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Free, no childcare. Do you know what your children need to know to be
successful in Kindergarten? Chances are, they may need more than you think,
according to today’s teachers. Brandy Vanderheiden, MA, FRC Manager of our 4
North County Family Resource Center sites will present from the book “I’m Ready for Kindergarten,” and
talk about how our programs contribute to school readiness. It is never too early to start getting
ready.
Science
Kids: Thursdays 10:00-11:30am. February 27- April 3. Thanks to the community support and sponsorship from the Kiwanis of Mountain View, this series returns! Science exploration for preschoolers
ages 3-5. This class includes basics of numbers, shapes & colors; the world around us;
science skills: measuring and more. This class is first come, first served for
the first 13 children/26 people (due to the classroom size, for safety
reasons). By Aliza Savransky. 6 weeks. Fee is $3 per child per class to cover
supplies, or buy the whole series by the first class and get 1 class free ($15
for the series) Cash or checks made out to CHAC. Drop-ins accepted only if space
available at 10:00am. If you buy a series, you must arrive by 10:00am or you lose
your space (sorry, no refunds). Series passes are not transferrable.
Play
and Learn Tuesday Note: The
Tuesday afternoon Play and Learn has gotten very popular. For safety reasons,
we cannot allow more than 15 children/30 individuals in the room at one time.
If you want to get a spot, we recommend showing up at least 15 minutes early.
That’s what happens when word gets out about a good thing!
Did
you know about our FIRST 5 partners in Sunnyvale?
Find calendars for the
FIRST 5 FRC at Fairwood Elementary here http://www.first5kids.org/frc/fairwood
Cupertino
Science
Kids: Thanks to community support and sponsership from the Kiwanis of Mountain View, this series returns! Thursdays
10:00-11:30am. January 9 – February 13. Science
exploration for preschoolers ages 3-5. This class includes basics of numbers, shapes &
colors; the world around us; science skills: measuring and more. This class is
first come, first served for the first 13 children/26 people (due to the
classroom size, for safety reasons).By Aliza Savransky. 6 weeks. Fee is $3 per
child per class to cover supplies, or pay by the first class and get 1 class
free ($15 for the series) Cash or checks made out to CHAC. Drop-ins accepted only if
space available at 10:00am. If you buy a series, you must arrive by 10:00am or you
lose your space (sorry, no refunds). Series passes are not transferrable.
SEEDS
of Early Literacy - Starts Wednesday January 15 – February 12 from
10:00am-12:00pm. Children will practice literacy skills while parents learn how
to reinforce what they learn at home. Registration required for class and for childcare. At Canon Music
School. Free.
New
Monthly Play and Learn Class at Calabasas Library! Second Thursday of every month,
10:30-12 noon. Mark your calendars: December 12, January 9, February 13, and
beyond! Address: Calabasas Library, 1230 S. Blaney Ave, San Jose, CA
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Volunteers Needed! Do
you have a few hours a week you that you can spare? Do you want to give
back to your community? Do you want to make an impact in the lives of
young children and their families? Do you want to expand your knowledge
of early childhood development? Come join our team. If you are interested and/or want more information on our fabulous volunteer program, please send an email to Nancy Doan at nancydoan5@gmail.com. Thanks for considering – the success of our program depends on Volunteers! Together we make the difference.
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Volunteer Network! CHAC/FIRST 5 Volunteers, stay connected on all our volunteer news, updates, training opportunities, and more! You can take part in our Facebook Volunteer Group. Find us by typing "nancydoan5@gmail.com" in the search bar or click
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Feedback: Do you have comments that you would like to send the staff? Please send us a note to:mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
