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“Coming to Beach Flats Family School has given me the opportunity to participate in classes within The Beach Flats Community Center. I have attended Latino Literacy Project, Cara y Corazon, Yoga and Nutrition classes, all for free!”
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-Samantha Heredia Coop parent
The Beach Flats Family School Coop sprang from adversity. We ran a successful preschool program, Jardin de Niños, for five years funded by First Five. When that funding ended we looked for ways to keep our preschool going.
In collaboration with Santa Cruz Adult Education we designed and implemented a family coop preschool inside the Beach Flats Community Center. Because in most of our families both parents work 40 + hours a week, we developed a coop participation model that includes parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and even neighbors.
Toddlers, ages 3-5, and family members participate, learning new parenting and teaching techniques. The program runs Monday through Thursday from 9:15 am to noon. Our goal is to provide children with an early exposure to the classroom and enhance children’s school readiness. We teach English skills that will be needed for success in school, and support Spanish as the language spoken in the home. The preschool is a partnership between Beach Flats Community Center, Santa Cruz Adult School and Nueva Vista Apartments. Over the last two years parents have volunteered over 1,400 hours. Family members volunteer at least one day a week in the classroom, read to their children and, attend monthly parenting seminars as well as attend PTA meetings. This program has given new meaning to “family involvement!” Families are provided additional support from a Family Liaison.
