2002 Celebration
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2002 Celebration |
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Programs La Causa, Inc. Early Childhood Services/P.E.A.C.E. Training Academy Program Descriptions La Causa, Inc. Early Childhood Services/P.E.A.C.E. Training Academy Contact: Grants and Donations In 1972, La Causa became the first bilingual, multicultural organization incorporated to provide child care to families on Milwaukee’s near south side, a highly Latino neighborhood that had a large unmet need for child care. Throughout the years, the program has grown, and today La Causa also includes an elementary school, social services, family support services, and a child care job-training academy. La Causa recognizes that the best way to help children grow is to partner with their families. Early Childhood Services involves parents in the education of their children through the Hispanic Early Learning Program, or H.E.L.P., which administers developmental screenings for children enrolled in La Causa child care and offers support services for their families. Short-term counseling, information and referrals, parenting classes, advocacy services, and a bilingual library can be found at the Family Resource Center, whose purpose is to work hand-in-hand with families to create a more nurturing environment in their homes. Family support is further extended through the 24-hour, 365-day-a-year Crisis Nursery, which provides cost-free childcare for up to 72 hours in case of an emergency. La Causa’s commitment to providing good jobs to neighborhood residents while striving for ever higher quality child care led to the founding of the P.E.A.C.E. (Prevention Education and Community Empowerment) Training Academy in 1998, which offers bilingual professional development through specialized training and certification programs for child care teachers. The academy’s Guaranteed Childcare Jobs Training program for entry-level job seekers offers a 10-week program that includes certification courses required by the state of Wisconsin along with daily supervised practice teaching in child care classrooms. While graduates may apply to other centers, they are guaranteed a job with full benefits at La Causa. In addition, the academy offers a six-month intensive staff development program, Nurturing Peace in Early Childhood Education, that focuses on helping early childhood teachers, childcare workers, and parents nurture themselves so that they can better nurture their children. The program also helps early childhood teachers implement the Peaceable Classroom curriculum, which teaches children important skills in emotional literacy, cultural competency, and nonviolent conflict resolution. The young Latinos who participate in Early Childhood Services come from economically at-risk families: 75 percent have an annual income of below $15,000 and 99 percent qualify for reduced-price meals. Most families live within a mile of the centers, and many bring their children on foot. The centers are open from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. so that children whose parents work the second and third shifts can have access to quality care. Without the academy, La Causa could not meet the community’s growing need for bilingual-bicultural child care.
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