El centro de atención temprana del Proyecto Isabella se instala en la escuela primaria Briggs
Este artículo fue publicado originalmente por el Santa Paula Times.
With the leadership of over 125 partners and input from hundreds of community members, the Isabella Project is excited to announce the location of a new early-care hub, adjacent to undeveloped land on the Briggs Elementary School property in Santa Paula.
The mission of the Isabella Project is to ensure all children in Ventura County, starting in Santa Paula, have access to high-quality, full-time early care and education that meets their families’ needs.
In Santa Paula, there are more than 2,000 children under age 5, but only 881 formal early-learning spaces. The early-care hub will create approximately 200 more spaces for early childhood education, serving children ages 0 to 5, and will include a variety of wrap-around services to better serve young children, families and childcare professionals.
“The Isabella Project was a direct response to community need,” said Dr. Gabino Aguirre, Isabella Project co-chair. “In Santa Paula, two-thirds of parents reported needing care for young children but not being able to access it. To meet this need, we knew we needed a comprehensive, systemic roadmap to guide the process and bring this vision to life. Finding the location for the hub was at the heart of the Isabella Project’s success.”
Para abordar este complicado problema, el Proyecto Isabella ha supervisado el desarrollo de la Hoja de ruta para la educación infantil en Santa Paula, una estrategia sistémica, impulsada por la comunidad y basada en datos que se centra en lo siguiente:
- Ampliar el acceso y la asequibilidad
- Invertir en el desarrollo y la retención de la mano de obra
- Mejora de las infraestructuras
- Participación de las familias y la comunidad
“Studies show that by age 5, 90% of a child’s brain development is completed,” said Dr. Carlos Dominguez, Briggs School District superintendent. “Therefore, having access to high-quality early childhood education helps prepare children so they enter school ready to learn, and ensures our students are equipped to be academically successful as well as thrive beyond the classroom.”
“The Isabella Project and the City of Santa Paula are both near and dear to me,” said Jack Hinojosa, Child Development Resources CEO and Isabella Project co-chair. “Attending school and growing up in Santa Paula and remembering my mom’s legacy as a cook (Master Chef) at Santa Paula Head Start Center for 38 years makes this all the more personal for me. Head Start programs lay the foundation for our children to have lifetimes of success by providing the lessons and support needed in the early years, and to partner closely with parents—children’s first teachers—showing them the importance of advocating and remaining involved as their children grow and learn. Parents are the cornerstone of Head Start, and the Isabella Project provides an excellent opportunity for us to show parents how important their voices are and that they matter.”
The initial campus is expected to be mobile buildings and an opening date for The Isabella Project has yet to be determined.
El Proyecto Isabella es un proyecto piloto con el objetivo de garantizar que todos los niños de Santa Paula tengan acceso a una atención y educación tempranas de alta calidad y a tiempo completo que satisfagan las necesidades de sus familias. Convocado por primera vez por la Fundación Comunitaria del Condado de Ventura en 2021, este grupo se compone ahora de más de 125 socios comunitarios de todo el condado de Ventura y de sectores que van desde la educación superior hasta el cuidado de niños, pasando por la salud mental y otros. El proyecto tiene como objetivo ser un modelo para la creación de una red de atención envolvente a través de proveedores preexistentes y nuevos a través de la ciudad que se puede replicar en ciudades de todo el condado. Para obtener más información sobre el Proyecto Isabella, visite vccf.org/isabella-project. vccf.org/proyecto-isabella.