April Overview

CHAC/FIRST 5 Presents: Your April Overview

Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community 

April has arrived, and many cultures are celebrating the official arrival of spring. At least 25 celebrations are listed in the community during late winter and into springtime, including Spring Equinox, Nowruz, Persian New Year, Lieldienas, Ostara, Setsubun, Passover and Easter. Looking outside at our beautiful weather and lengthening days.  We all have something to celebrate!

Here is news from across the region:

TV Raffle Fundraiser – we need your help! We are very excited to announce that we will have a raffle for a 32 inch LCD HDTV to help raise funds for our program. Tickets are $10 for one chance to win and we are selling a maximum of 500 tickets. We are calling upon all of our friends, families, volunteers and partners to help us sell these tickets. The winner will be drawn on April 27 at our Spring Planting Party at New World CDC (need not be present to win). We are offering prizes for those who sell the most tickets each week and overall. Please contact us to sell or buy tickets. They will be on sale as of April 1. There is a Donate button on our website just for the raffle. Please share with your friends and networks. We will keep you posted on our progress.

CHAC/FIRST 5 Pilots “Ready for Kindergarten” class at Escuela FRC – Community worker Yadira Rios and volunteer Guadalupe R. are piloting a 10 week Arts Enrichment style class for children in the community ages 3-5 who have not had any preschool experience. Unlike our Play and Learn classes that have children of mixed ages, this class is dedicated to children working specifically on Kindergarten readiness skills from the SEEDS curriculum. Also different from our usual model is that parents are not in the room for the class, but one parent each week is required to help in the classroom assisting the teacher. We want to instill parent involvement and help children develop some basic skills for school. While the class is not a replacement for preschool, we are happy to try out this new format and give 8 children this opportunity.

Spring Planting Parties Coming in April – It’s time to refresh the gardens and plant our spring crops. We will be having our Spring Planting Parties at Mercy Street FRC in Mountain View and New World CDC in Sunnyvale (Cupertino Border). Come and enjoy some outside play time with stories, songs and crafts about spring, gardening and healthy foods. Then kids get a chance to plant something in our garden. Wear sun protection and closed toed shoes. Dress for messy. Please RSVP (for either location/event) by calling 650-967-4813 or Mercystreetfrc@gmail.com or RSVP online by clicking (here).

Mercy Street FRC (748 Mercy Street  – Monday, April 22 from 10:30am-12:00pm (replaces our regular Play and Learn Class)

New World CDC (730 E. Homestead Road, Sunnyvale) – Saturday April 27 from 10:00-12:00pm

Two Storytimes with Author, Rosemary Wells - Rosemary Wells to Talk to Parents of Preschoolers about Reading. By our partners at Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose.

Rosemary Wells has written and illustrated more than 60 children's books. The recipient of many awards, she spearheaded a national campaign for early literacy called "Read to Your Bunny." In this special presentation for Silicon Valley Reads and FIRST 5, she will talk to parents about the importance of reading to their children 20 minutes a day and how to pick books that will keep the attention of preschoolers. She will provide pointers on how to read illustrated books aloud and answer questions. After children join their parents, she will read Love Waves, a book about how to feel close when loved ones are far away.

These events are free, however please RSVP below.  Each family will receive one copy of Love Waves. Limited seating available. 

Date: 
Thursday, April 4 2013

Time:
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location:
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
Lee and Diane Brandenburg Theatre - Side entrance
180 Woz Way,
San Jose, CA 95110

* Separate admission required if you visit Children's Discovery Museum.  Attendees of the storytime will have a discounted admission of $6.00 for children and adults 1-59 years old, and $5.50 for seniors.  Infants and members are free.  This coupon is valid only on Thursday, April 4, 2013.  No additional discounts will apply. 

RSVP for the Museum Storytime (click here)

 Date: 
Thursday, April 4 2013

Time:
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Location:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Children's Room
150 E. San Fernando Street
San Jose, CA 95112

RSVP for the Library Storytime (click here)

Childcare Provider Faire in Sunnyvale - The fair will showcase licensed home and center based child care available in the City of Sunnyvale. Families seeking childcare are invited to attend. Child care providers will share information about their programs with families seeking infant to school age child care. The City of Sunnyvale does not endorse any particular program and families are encouraged to conduct their own screening/interview process to determine if a program meets their needs. The event is free and registration is not required for those seeking child care.

For more information contact the City of Sunnyvale Youth & Family Resources

Office, childcareresources@sunnyvale.ca.gov or call 408-730-7807

Children’s Health Insurance Sign Up Day - On Saturday March 16, Community Worker and Certified Application Assistant Ana Moreno, along with partners from The Health Trust, Children’s Dental Center, Mountain View Community Service Agency and community volunteers met with families in the area to give information about Medi-Cal and other health insurance programs for children. It was a great collaborative effort and wonderful way to spread the word about services available for children.  

Note: Did you know we have weekly assistance with Medi-Cal and other children’s health insurance? Tuesdays at Mercy Street. Check our calendar, appointments recommended.

Dental Fair in San Jose – Santa Clara Family Health Foundation to offer Free dental services for children: To help serve the uninsured and underinsured, the California Dental Association will be providing free dental services to children (accompanied by an adult) and adults. 

When:    Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, 2013

Where:   San Jose Convention Center, South Hall

              150 West San Carlos Street

              San Jose, CA 95113 

Time:     5:00AM doors open

Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis with a goal of providing care to more than 2,000 people during the two-day, free dental clinic.  For more information, click here, or if you would like to volunteer, click here.

If you know anyone who is in need of dental services, please pass this information along to them.

Like us on Facebook! Did you know we have a Facebook page? We post interesting tips, videos, information on local events, and more. Please “like” us and help our online community grow. Find us by typing “Mercy Street Family Resource Center” in the search bar or (click)

Feedback: Do you have comments that you would like to send the staff?   Please send us a note to:mercystreetfrc@gmail.com

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Coming Soon

How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children Book Group (Spanish) April 1 from 10:30am-12pm Note: Moved to Escuela FRC: 260 Escuela Ave, Mountain View. Childcare available with registration. Want one in English? Contact the office to start one. The last group in this series will be May 6. A new group will start again in July.

Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) in Mountain View– a six week class for parents on a variety of topics including promoting early literacy, healthy eating, communication with your children, bilingualism, and more. Starts April 6 – registration is required, childcare provided. In Spanish. See Mountain View page for more details.

Family Day is Saturday, April 20 – 11:30am-1:00pm at Mercy Street in Mountain View. Please register at mercystreetfrc@gmail.com. Next month, Family Day will be canceled due to the wonderful event, Hands on the Arts in Sunnyvale – be sure to check that out on May 18.

Spring Planting Parties (as described above) – See Mountain View and Sunnyvale pages for details.

SEEDS in Cupertino – a 5-week class for parents on promoting early literacy and language development. Learn skills to help give your child an advantage in school. Registration required, childcare is provided. Starts Thursday May 2. See Cupertino page for details.

Fun in the Sun in Cupertino Starts Friday, May 17. Take the Play and Learn experience outdoors, where there is more focus on games and movement for summertime fun. No registration required. See Cupertino page for details.