UPDATE: The story about Avance didn’t run in today’s paper but is now slated to go this weekend. So for now, consider this blog item a sneak peek.
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A story about the parenting program Avance that is now in its first year at Kawana Elementary in Santa Rosa and McDowell Elementary in Petaluma is scheduled to run in Thursday’s Press Democrat. I’ll add that link when it’s live, but for a peek into the program, read on.
For many, beginning Avance in August was the first time the participating infants to three year olds had been away from their mothers for any period of time, teachers said.
“We had some kids who wouldn’t play, they would just wander, but now they are starting to lace for hand eye coordination,” said teacher Ingrid Arceo.
The lessons for the moms go over topics like how to deal with fevers and dehydration, how to help children develop social skills and how to give both mom and children emotional confidence.
“It deals with reality,” instructor Claudia Leiva said. “They have a lot to say because it recognizes that they are the first teacher who comes in contact with the kids.”
The goal of the program is to give mothers tools to navigate their children’s early education and provide students academic and social support, said Shelley Caviness, an advocate who worked to bring the national program to Sonoma County schools.
Part of the impetus behind the class was reinforced early this month when gang violence rocked the neighborhood that surrounds Kawana Elementary School.
A 20-year-old suspected gang member was found stabbed on the Moraga Avenue campus after school hours on Jan. 8. School and police officials have since met with parents in multiple forums to discuss campus and neighborhood safety in an area that is considered disputed gang territory.
The Avance class is another way to reach out to neighborhood families with messages about Neighborhood Watch, local law enforcement and crime prevention, advocates said.
“If we don’t stand up to gang activity, it’s going to fester, it’s going to grow,” said Blanca Benitez, a Santa Rosa Police Department outreach specialist who spoke to the Kawana class Tuesday. “Policing takes everyone. It’s not a solo mission.”
To find out more about Avance, click here: www.avance.org
To find out more about First 5 Sonoma County, click here: http://www.first5sonomacounty.org/
To find out more about Community Action Partnership: http://www.communityactionpartnership.com/
To see Press Democrat photographer John Burgess’s photos from this week’s Avance class at Kawana, click here: http://ht.ly/3Kcm0