Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Inland child care agency expanding capacity

By MELISSA EISELEIN
The Press-Enterprise

Family Service Association recently opened a new child development center in Riverside and is expanding services at another Riverside site and in Hemet.
And still, the nonprofit agency based in Moreno Valley can't keep up with the need for no-cost and low-cost child care services.
"It's hard. There's not enough money but the need is still there," said the agency's child development director, May Eslava.
In a three ZIP code area of western Hemet alone, an estimated 150 to 300 children are in need of full-day child care, Eslava said.
That need is mirrored in many other Inland communities, she said.
The association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside, Rubidoux, Mead Valley, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Cabazon, and hopes to one day expand into San Bernardino County, Eslava said.
Story continues below

Melissa Eiselein / The Press-Enterprise
Sarah Valdez, 4, of Hemet, right, traces as Jasmine Pando, 4, of Hemet, chats with her teacher at Family Service Association's childhood development center in west Hemet.
Family Service Association also provides meals for seniors and mental health services to low-income families.
In June, the association bought a former YWCA building in Riverside and plans to triple the number of children previously served at the site.
The Alvord site in Riverside was recently enlarged from four to six classrooms, Eslava said.
In west Hemet, two new classrooms are under construction, which will provide learning opportunities for an additional 48 children ages 3 to 5. The classrooms are expected to open in October, Eslava said.
The additions are being funded through government grants, she said.
Krystal Morley, of Hemet, said the child development center has been a blessing for her family, including her 4-year-old grandson Jamesyn Hunsucker.
"My son is a single dad and he has three kids. Without this place, Jamesyn would have nowhere to go but with me," Morley said. "I have an illness and it's hard to take care of him by myself."
Day care is not the only reason to enroll a child in one of the centers, Eslava said.
"Teachers are not baby sitters," Eslava said. "Even in the infant classroom we have curriculum. If the baby needs to learn to crawl, we give them an activity to support that."
Hemet hairdresser Maria Corral said the low-cost child care program allows her to go to work, while providing a valuable education for her 4-year-old son, Ernesto.
"I have him here mainly to learn English. I don't speak English to him at home. I don't want him to forget his mother language. I want him to be bilingual," Corral said. "When he comes home, he tells me his colors in English and I tell him what they are in Spanish."
For the full-day program, parents must have a job or be seeking employment. They also must meet state income qualification, which are based on the household size. For the half-day program, parents only need to meet the income guidelines, Eslava said.

Early learning centers
Family Service Association operates 13 child-development centers in Riverside County.

Cabazon
Cabazon Child Development Center, 14580 S. Broadway St., 951-849-7535

Hemet Child Development Center, 41931 E. Florida Ave., 951-925-2160

West Hemet Child Development Center, 790 W. Acacia Ave., 951-925-2160

Mead Valley
Mead Valley Child Development Center, 21091 Rider St., 951-657-2889

Moreno Valley
Alessandro Child Development Center, 23750 Alessandro Blvd., Suite G101, 951-653-6100
Hemlock Child Development Center, 23270 Hemlock Ave., 951-786-3985
Moreno Valley Child Development Center, 21250 Box Springs Road, 951-786-3985

Riverside

Alvord Child Development Center, 8230 Wells Ave., 951-637-5587

Arlanza Child Development Center, 7940 Philbin Ave., 951-352-2810

Highgrove Child Development Center, 459 Center St., 951-369-0979

La Sierra Child Development Center, 4601 Pierce St., 951-343-0979

Magnolia Child Development Center, 8172 Magnolia Ave., 951- 687-9922

Rubidoux Child Development Center, 5765 42nd St., 951-274-7940

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This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out?

What's taking so long? This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out? "Hell has a special level for those who sit by idly during times of great crisis."
Robert Kennedy

The Art of SETTING LIMITS, Its not as easy as it looks.

Art of Setting Limits Setting limits is one of the most powerful tools that professionals have to promote positive behavior change for their clients, students, residents, patients, etc. Knowing there are limits on their behavior helps the individuals in your charge to feel safe. It also helps them learn to make appropriate choices.


There are many ways to go about setting limits, but staff members who use these techniques must keep three things in mind:
Setting a limit is not the same as issuing an ultimatum.
Limits aren’t threats—If you don’t attend group, your weekend privileges will be suspended.

Limits offer choices with consequences—If you attend group and follow the other steps in your plan, you’ll be able to attend all of the special activities this weekend. If you don’t attend group, then you’ll have to stay behind. It’s your decision.
The purpose of limits is to teach, not to punish.
Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable consequences. By giving such choices and consequences, staff members provide a structure for good decision making.
Setting limits is more about listening than talking.
Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits.
Download The Art of Setting Limits

SYSTEMATIC USE OF CHILD LABOR


CHILD DOMESTIC HELP
by Amanda Kloer

Published February 21, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT
category: Child Labor
Wanted: Domestic worker. Must be willing to cook, clean, work with garbage, and do all other chores as assigned. No contract available, payment based on employer's mood or current financial situation. No days off. Violence, rape, and sexual harassment may be part of the job.

Would you take that job? No way. But for thousands of child domestic workers in Indonesia, this ad doesn't just describe their job, it describes their life.

A recent CARE International survey of over 200 child domestic workers in Indonesia found that 90% of them didn't have a contract with their employer, and thus no way to legally guarantee them a fair wage (or any wage at all) for their work. 65% of them had never had a day off in their whole employment, and 12% had experienced violence. Child domestic workers remain one of the most vulnerable populations to human trafficking and exploitation. And while work and life may look a little grim for the kids who answered CARE's survey, it's likely that the most abused and exploited domestic workers didn't even have the opportunity to take the survey.

In part, child domestic workers have it so much harder than adults because the people who hire children are more likely looking for someone easy to exploit. Think about it -- if you wanted to hire a domestic worker, wouldn't you choose an adult with a stronger body and more life experience to lift and haul and cook than a kid? If you could get them both for the same price, of course you would. But what if the kid was cheaper, free even, because you knew she wouldn't try and leave if you stopped paying her. Or even if you threatened her with death.



Congress Aims to Improve Laws for Runaway, Prostituted Kids

by Amanda Kloer

categories: Child Prostitution, Pimping

Published February 20, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT

The prospects for healthcare reform may be chillier than DC weather, but Democrats in the House and Senate are turning their attention to another warmer but still significant national issue: the increasing number of runaway and throwaway youth who are being forced into prostitution. In response to the growing concerns that desperate, runaway teens will be forced into prostitution in a sluggish economy, Congress is pushing several bills to improve how runaway kids are tracked by the police, fund crucial social services, and prevent teens from being caught in sex trafficking. Here's the gist of what the new legislation is trying to accomplish:

Shelter: Lack of shelter is one of the biggest vulnerabilities of runaway and homeless youth. Pimps will often use an offer of shelter as an entree to a relationship with a child or a straight up trade for sex. In the past couple years, at least 10 states have made legislative efforts to increase the number of shelters, extend shelter options, and change state reporting requirements so that youth shelters have enough time to win trust and provide services before they need to report the runaways to the police. Much of the new federal legislation would make similar increases in the availability and flexibility of shelter options.

Police Reporting: Right now, police are supposed to enter all missing persons into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database within two hours of receiving the case. In reality, that reporting doesn't always get done, making it almost impossible for law enforcement to search for missing kids across districts. This hole is a big problem in finding child prostitution victims and their pimps, since pimps will often transport girls from state to state. The new bill would strengthen reporting requirements, as well as facilitate communication between the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Switchboard

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women
Nor the Fool Politicians that used so many American GIs' lives as fodder for the fight over an english noun - "Communism"