Sooner for the better

By David M

The United States is undisputedly the number 1 country of choice for immigrants. The U.S. has always been viewed as a place where dreams can become a reality. Through hard work and determination, anyone can achieve a successful life. That’s what’s called the American Dream.

However, unfortunately, most families who come from immigrant backgrounds can’t achieve this. What’s even sadder is that most children who are born into immigrant families are more likely to grow up in a low-income household which catalyzes a future uphill battle. 

Thankfully, there are organizations whose mission is to help and support unfortunate people who struggle with these problems. One of those organizations is Educare. 

In the year 2000, Start Early, which was formerly known as the Ounce, became the first ever Educare school after the demolition of the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest housing developments in Chicago at the time. They built the school to serve the children and their families. Since then, they partnered with other organizations across the country to build a network of 25 birth-through-age-5 schools. This further improved the access to higher quality education for those who unfortunately didn’t have access before.

Among one of those 25 schools, we are fortunate to have one right in our community. Not only do they help children with their partnerships and other organizations but they are also able to help the community in general.

If you were to visit our Educare, you’ll find the Family Resource Center (FRC). As the name implies, families can get help with things such as health, nutrition, and wellness. Parents/caregivers who are eligible can receive assistance with Medi-Cal applications and other health programs. In addition to receiving resources, the FRC also works as a classroom.

Children and their parents/caregivers can partake in the fun and educational activities. My father works there and usually when I have no school and I have nothing to do, I visit him and I see what the FRC is like during their classes. 

Before the class even begins, I would just chill there and help with anything my dad asked me to do. While I worked, I would watch child after child just come in and play with the toys that were there. Or if they were interested in reading a book, they would pick one up from the library.

Once it was getting close for the class to begin, the teachers would play a clean-up song, which automatically caught the children’s attention. All the employees are kind and caring. They would have their morning check-up with the children, asking them how they are, which the children would then respond with joy.

In class, depending on the type of book they read, determined the type of activity the children would do. For instance, if the book was related to bugs or nature, the teachers would take the children outside to their little garden. Parents are able to participate as well and even help in setting up the activity. The whole environment is just filled with optimism.

Sharon Marfil is an employee of the Educare school here in Silicon Valley. She is a program coordinator and her main role is to help organize events regarding volunteers. She meets with volunteers to see if they are willing to help out the community. 

When she began working at Educare, everything was new. She did although have an idea of what one of the partners of Educare was about, that being First 5. However, when it came to her role, she was a bit confused. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone she could really look up to. There was no one that she would be able to go to for help. So she had to learn on her own. 

Marfil: “One thing that’s difficult, I would say is…sometimes since I’m the only person in my position, I can ask for help but sometimes they don’t know themselves. So I kinda feel alone, trying to figure out what I should do. Like there’s no manual that says this is how I’m supposed to do this.”

Marfil believes that it is imperative for a child to have a head start at a young age, as she herself came from an immigrant family background. 

Marfil: “...There’s a lot of resources that I wish I would’ve had when I was a toddler or when I was growing up. My parents were first-generation here so they didn’t really know anything about First 5 or reading to your child. Nothing of that. It was more like they became parents and they were like ‘we'll figure it out’ based off what their parents taught them. So I think it’s super important and valuable that nowadays we have those resources because again, low-income families definitely need that support and that extra support because they don’t have family that are here.”

Marfil plays a major role when it comes to events that either Educare or their partner Catholic Charities hold. Catholic Charities is one of Educare’s partners and they give out food to families every month. Marfil talks with potential volunteers and recruits said potential volunteers. She said that she usually meets up with college students and even with teenagers. 

Marfil even said that volunteering here can be considered community hours and recommends this to those who are interested in finding what they want to do in their careers.

Marfil: “So I am the volunteer program coordinator for the Family Resource Center’s. My job is to just help out our volunteers, recruit volunteers, provide any services they need. Like if they need access to food, I can provide that for them because we are a part of the agency; I try my best to guide them as much as I can to the resources we have in our agency. And then I process volunteer paperwork so any new volunteers like high school, college, adults/parents who are interested in volunteering, I do the whole process with them.”

When COVID became a global crisis and everyone was forced to stay indoors, families faced hardships. Some were worse than others. However, when things were starting to get smooth, Educare provided parents with free diapers. Parents were able to pick up diapers for their toddlers and babies for free. All they had to do was call and they would get assistance with their order. They would get asked how old their child was so they would get the right size. Fortunately, this service is still up for families. 

In my opinion, I not only think it’s important for families to have these resources but also for every child, in general, to have a head start in their education, especially when it comes to those who aren’t as lucky as others. Luckily, I was able to take this type of program when I was young and I would really recommend parents inserting their children into these types of programs because it could really make a difference. One of them being Educare.

For the Warrior Times, this is David Monroy.