Gilroy
– Going strong in its third year, the school district’s Early
Learning Initiative connects young Gilroy children and their
families with vital education and health services.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Going strong in its third year, the school district’s Early Learning Initiative connects young Gilroy children and their families with vital education and health services.
Without the care managers of the First 5 program, it’s likely 20 children who have yet to start kindergarten would not be receiving treatment for health problems.
Funded by a four-year grant, GUSD last year referred hundreds of families with children ages five and younger to services such as health clinics, dental care, or literacy classes.
This year, Debra Aboytes, Gilroy Unified School District’s First 5 administrator, says she hopes to reach 360 new families.
“Two years ago, we were trying to chart a path,” Aboytes said. “And at least we have a path now, and it’s growing, and it’s awesome.”
The $543,000-per-year grant, funded out of Proposition 10 tobacco tax monies, started in 2002.
In a recent annual report to the school board, Aboytes said she was proud of the outreach the district has accomplished by using the grant to reach young children and their families who live in the neighborhood of four schools. Antonio Del Buono, Las Animas, Glen View and Eliot elementary schools’ future students all qualify because, at the time the grant was awarded, they had the lowest test scores.
“To me, it’s amazing when you start to look at how many teeth got fixed,” Aboytes said Monday. “And how many children and families Lillian Castillo and the Gilroy Nutrition Task Force worked with to educate about diabetes and nutrition … workshops on topics like that because they’re pressing issues in our community.”
The most visible aspect of First 5 in the county is the state preschool program, but in Gilroy, care managers are the centerpiece. There are six care managers for the district who get in touch with families who qualify for services and make appropriate referrals – a total of 1,745 referrals last year.
For example, 600 families completed nutrition classes; 131 were screened for mental health services; and 25 received care management from Saint Joseph’s Family Center – including transitional housing, transportation and job training.
Also, 807 children received dental care – 15 of those children needed so much dental work they had to be sedated, resulting in 82 restorative and 70 preventive procedures.
Aboytes also highlighted some data that shows 4-year-olds enrolled in the state’s preschool improve their English proficiency. In 2003-04, students at all five levels of English proficiency improved over the previous year, although Aboytes cautioned that the data was not from the same students.
