1. Safe Routes to School
Operations Committee Meeting
Daina Lujan, Coordinator, Safe Routes to School
www.smcoe.org

2. Agenda
Item
Time
Outcome
Introductions
5 Minutes
Warm Up
14-15 Grant Application
10 Minutes
Awareness of the 14-15 Grant Application
Timeline
Parent Engagement, Robin
Galas
45 Minutes
Understanding of ways to deeply engage
parents
Cool the Earth, Sarah
Starbird
30 Minutes
Awareness of the Cool the Earth Program and
its features
Meeting Feedback
5 Minutes
Input on future topics and the format for
future meetings
www.smcoe.org

3. Introductions/Warm Up
Name
One Ongoing Question
One Thing that is Going Well
www.smcoe.org

4. 14-15 Grant Application Timeline
January 13, 2014
Release Call for Proposals
February 6, 2014
Grant Application Orientation
March 28, 2014
Proposal Due
March 31, 2014 – April 11, 2014
Review Proposals
April 21, 2014
Applicants Notified via e-mail Regarding Grant Awards
April 28, 2014
Notification of Award Letters Sent
Second Call for Additional Projects (if funds remain after
awarding grants; funds will be awarded on a first come,
first served basis)
June 20, 2014
Final Notification to all Applicants regarding Award Status
www.smcoe.org

5. 14-15 Grant Application
Applicants
Application
Awards
Evaluation Criteria
www.smcoe.org

6. Parent Engagement
Robin Galas, Assistant Director, Family Engagement Institute
Foothill College
www.smcoe.org

7. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT INSTITUTE
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
NOVEMBER 2013
Brentwood Academy families with their Certificates of Participation
from the Family Engagement Institute, Foothill College

8. Need Defined
School Readiness – Learning begins at birth. Early experiences shape a child’s brain
development for future learning, behavior and success. Without that strong foundation, children –
especially low-income children- will be behind from the start.

60 % of three- and four-year-olds of low income families have not attended preschool

Latino three- and four-year-olds comprise the largest percentage (57% - nearly three out five)
of children without preschool in California

Latino Children account for more than half of all children under age five.
Third Grade Reading- 74% of students who fail to read proficiently by the end of third grade
falter in later grades and often drop out before earning a high school diploma.

More than half of California’s 2nd and 3rd graders are not proficient in English Language

Only one out of three California Latino 3rd graders read at grade level
Latino Children account for more than half of all children under age five. Our state’s future
depends on ensuring young Latino children are ready to excel in school and obtain the
skills they need to succeed in college and careers.
8

9. Need Defined
Middle School
According to the 2013 report, ―Broken Promises: The Children Left Behind in Silicon Valley Schools‖
published by Innovate Public Schools, ―The level of academic achievement that students attain by 8th
grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate high school
than anything that happens academically in high school…Algebra proficiency in middle school is a
marker for college bound students as it provides the opportunity for higher-level math in high school and
is essential for the STEM university track."

In San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, only 22% of Latinos, 24% of African Americans, and 26%
of Pacific Islanders have algebra proficiency by the 8th grade
Post Secondary Success
Workers with no postsecondary education have continued to lose jobs—approximately 230,000 during
2010 and 2011—while workers with some college or a bachelor's degree gained about 3.6 million jobs
over the same period. California is projected to fall desperately short of the number of college graduates
needed to maintain its productivity.

In California in 2012, 27% of Latino students and 34% of African American students did not
graduate from high school as compared to 14% of their white counterparts

60% of low-income working families in California have no postsecondary education, the lowest
percentage among the 50 states
Latino Children account for more than half of all children under age five. Our state’s future
depends on ensuring young Latino children are ready to excel in school and obtain the skills
they need to succeed in college and careers.
9

10. Current Landscape



10
In our nation’s attempts to close the achievement gap,
or more accurately the opportunity gap, the
interventions have been minimally effective and in fact
the divide has widened
There is a plethora of high quality programs serving
children and youth focused on improving their success
yet these programs often neglect families and the
critical role they play
Two of the highest factors impacting quality of child’s
education: teacher quality and family engagement

11. 11

12. The Family Engagement Institute’s (FEI)
Vision
All children and families realize their full life potential because they have
equal access and leverage the opportunities and systems of support
critical to their success and well being.
Mission
The Family Engagement Institute bridges educational inequalities by
providing opportunities that strengthen the capacity of families, schools
and communities, working together to ensure the success of all students
from early childhood through college.

13. 13

14. Family Engagement is a shared responsibility
Family/Familia
Child
Niño/a
School/Escuela
Community/Comunidad
Family Is A Child’s Most Important Teacher
When family engagement is implemented effectively, families, educators, and
communities work together to support families to effectively impact children.

15. What is unique about our approach?
We focus on a systemic and integrated model:
To engage all three stakeholder groups in a mutually
supportive manner
 To utilize a best practices model that works along an
educational continuum (early childhood – college)
and serves children, parents/caregivers, and the
educators/providers who serve those students
 To work in partnership with higher education in a dual
generational model that simultaneously promotes
child and family learning and well being

15

16. 16

17. FEI Programs: Stretch to Kindergarten
STK provides an educational experience that helps prepare families for
kindergarten and beyond!
17

18. FEI Programs: Families
• Strong Start- Parenting
• Leadership
FEI offers families with children in
preschool through high school, affordable • Family Literacy
• Fatherhood/Male Involvement
and accessible continued educational
• Healthy Choices
opportunities that are developmentally,
• Computer/Digital Literacy
culturally and linguistically responsive
• Pathways to College
in seven content areas:
18

19. FEI Programs: Educators
The FEI model of Family Engagement
FEI provides professional development in
promotes a commitment on behalf of
Family Engagement in the following areas:
educators/providers to build strong partnerships
with families in realizing
•
Strategic Planning and Implementation
the influence of family on children and youths’ •
Cultural Competency
learning and development.
•
Dual Language Learners
•
Early Math
19

20. By the Numbers/Partners
In the 2012-2013 academic year, FEI:
•
Enrolled 1,528 parents/caregivers in Non-Credit Parenting classes, serving 869 unique individuals
•
Provided professional development to 407 educators
•
Served 80 children through its Stretch to Kindergarten (STK) program
•
Provided 60 Child Development Academy students hands-on experience through STK
Demographics:
•
91% Latinos; 2 % Asian and Pacific Islanders, 1% African Americans 2% White, 4% unknown
Partners:
•
East Side Union High School District
•
Mountain View Whisman School District
•
Ravenswood City School District
•
Santa Clara County Office of Education – Head Start and State Preschool
•
Sunnyvale School District
20

21. 21

22. Project Details and Description


Partnership with Brentwood Academy
Workshop series featuring California Project Lean curriculum
www.projectlean.org



Ten families learned about Health & Wellness Policy and explored their
District’s policy
Families self-determined a personal goal and a group goal to pursue
Group Goal: Eliminate chocolate milk and juice from
Brentwood and promote water
Families utilized Project Lean process to implement goal

23. Project Accomplishments



Obtained support from the principal, Tami Espinosa
Hosted a Water Day event where families promoted and distributed water
and water promotion materials to students, other parents, and school staff
Staffed an informational table at Brentwood’s Carnival Celebration
promoting water

24. Project Accomplishments, cont.

Distributed Rethink Your Drink Posters to Brentwood teachers

Drafted and distributed a support letter to other families

Met with the Ravenswood Food Service Director, Karen Luna

Successfully eliminated chocolate milk from school food
program at Brentwood, effective this school year!

Helped to launch water dispensers at Brentwood and
other Ravenswood schools

25. Engagement Strategies
Educational Opportunities
- Eliminate barriers to participation
- Linguistically appropriate
- Educational attainment
- No cost
- Child Care
- When/where
-Buy-in and Support from Schools
--
Superintendent
-- Principal
-- Teachers
-- Parent leadership: ELAC, Site Councils, PTO’s
-- Links to Academic performance, i.e increased concentration

26. Engagement Strategies, Cont.
Approach families as assets
-- ―Sometimes it’s just rats!‖
-Relationship building
-Takes time
-
26

27. For more information, please visit: www.foothill.edu/fei
Presented By:
Robin Galas, Assistant Director
galasrobin@fhda.edu

28. Cool the Earth
Chloe Marin, Program Director
Cool the Earth
www.smcoe.org

29. Cool the Earth
A free educational program
that inspires climate action

30. Overview
 8 week program
 Fully funded
 Run by parent or teacher volunteer or team
– Student involvement
 Outside of class time
 Program support and materials through
www.cooltheearth.org

31. Core Program Elements





Kick-off assembly
Action Coupon book
Measuring success
Tracking success on banner
Club Koda

32. Assembly
 Introduces concepts of carbon emissions and
climate change
 Performed by teachers, parents or older
students
 Script, costumes and music provided
 About 20 minutes long
 Connects to Action Coupons
 Empowers students to take action
 Appropriate for k-8

33. Action Coupons
 Each child gets one coupon book
 20 energy actions to take at home
– re: home energy, transportation, waste,
food
– Some specifically for kids, some for parents
 Encouraged to take at least 5 actions

34. Measuring Success
 Weekly Coupon Collection
 Receive CTE Trading Cards & prizes
 Update banner monthly

35. Action Spotlights
 Optional program element
 Focus on one Action Coupon
 On-campus activity for subgroup of students
during recess
 Provides more info and tools for taking action
 Some green fund-raising possibilities

36. What you get




Box of program materials
Downloadable Program Materials
Instructions, Training & Support
Program materials available in Spanish
and Chinese

37. What it takes
 Volunteer time
– Launching assembly and distributing
materials=8-10 hours
– Coupon collection, data entry, updating
banner=6 hours over 8 weeks
– Additional time if you choose Action
Spotlight activities

38. Who is Cool the Earth
 Non-profit organization started by parents
 Funded by private foundations, utilities, and
EPA
 Over 400 schools nationwide have run
program
 Evaluated by Stanford team with positive
results
 Over 250 million lbs of carbon reduced so far

39. Meeting Feedback
•
What information was most useful to you?
•
What topics would you like to know more about?
•
What challenges are you currently managing or would like
support with?
•
Do you have any upcoming events that you would like Daina
to be aware of? If so, please note them.
www.smcoe.org

40. Daina Lujan
dlujan@smcoe.org
650-802-5306
Marilyn Canadas
mcanadas@smcoe.org
650-802-5338
www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/sr2s
www.smcoe.org