‘Kid’s Club’ reaches at-risk youth
Lisa Salinas is a parent. Her 11-year-old son Jaime attends fifth grade at Bahia Vista Elementary School in San Rafael. Like many parents living in the Canal District, she holds down a stressful, full-time job to provide for Jaime and his brother.
When Jaime started the second grade, he began having trouble in school and required special education support. A dedicated mother, Salinas faced the tough question of potentially losing her job that provides for her family's basic needs if she worked a schedule which would allow her to spend afternoons helping Jaime.
That's when Salinas found Kid's Club at Canal Family Support, a Catholic Charities CYO-subsidized enrichment program serving the Canal District in Marin. Kid's Club and the Canal Family Support program provide after-school and summer enrichment programs for 120 at-risk kids in grades 1-5. The program fosters educational achievement and improved academic performance, social skill development, physical activity and creative expression among children who might not otherwise have those opportunities.
Jaime has trouble learning and requires special support. Before attending Kid's Club he also had significant behavior issues and was prone to outbursts and tantrums at school. Kid's Club has built a trusting, consistent and nurturing relationship with Jaime while also working in close collaboration with his mother and the school to maintain seamless communication throughout each day.
After four years at Kid's Club, Jaime has shown great progress both in school and in interaction with adults and other children. His outbursts have stopped and the staff has watched as his confidence and self-esteem have grown.
This year he is participating in the Bike Mechanics Program and even attempted to ride a bike for the first time.
Kid's Club was able to connect Jaime with a Big Brother through its collaboration with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the North Bay. His mentor is able to spend time with him at Kid's Club and he has been very excited to have this special attention from a caring adult.
Jaime is a good example of the potential children have to succeed when provided with opportunity. "Kid's Club has been a great blessing in my family's life. Since my son has been attending Kids Club his social skills have improved and his character and confidence have grown," insists Salinas.
"When I was going through financial difficulty they worked with me. When my son was going through difficult times, they worked with us, and never once did they give up on us," she continued.
Kid's Club serves 120 youngsters at a cost of around $125 a week per child. To provide enrichment activities to children from low-income families, CCCYO, with the help of individual and foundation donors, subsidizes the cost of Kid's Club. This makes it possible for low-income parents to contribute about $35 per week for their child's care and for families in extreme poverty to receive additional assistance.
Carlos Garcia is the program director for Catholic Charities CYO's Canal Family Support Program. For ways to help, visit www.cccyo.org/seasonofcaring or call Marti Sullivan at (415) 972-1291.
(By Carlos Garcia)
(From January 16, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco)
