Element Five

Element 5: Early Childhood Social and Emotional Learning Programs

Our goal is to increase early childhood social and emotional learning programs. To achieve this goal, ERUSD will hire a School-Community Liaison; increase early childhood placements in existing community programs; hire a registered nurse; and expand parenting classes. To meet Objective #1 ‘increasing placements in early childhood programs’, ERUSD will recruit, hire, and train a School-Community Liaison and create a database of community partners providing comparable Head Start early childhood programs. A database of community resources for early childhood social and emotional learning programs will be disseminated in both English and Spanish. We will conduct a marketing campaign for resources and programs for early childhood social and emotional learning. To meet Objectives #2 and #3 ‘increase the number of parents receiving parenting instruction and mental health services’ and Objective #4 ‘expand parents’ knowledge of their children’s age-appropriate cognitive, physical, and social development’, we will extend our current contract with Intercommunity Child Guidance Center to provide parenting classes to an additional 125 families annually. ERUSD will also increase placements in the Early School Success Program and the First 5 LA Project. To meet Objective #5 ‘increase attendance for pregnant teens’ and Objective #6 ‘pre/post natal care’, ERUSD will expand the Cal Safe Teen/Fathers Program and recruit and train a Registered Nurse (RN) to provide pre- and postnatal home visits to teen mothers. The RN will also work with pregnant teens to obtain case management information, enact crisis intervention, and make referrals for intensive therapy. We will also create a database of community partners providing services to pregnant teens/fathers.

Element Leader: Marla Rodriguez

Jaime Hernandez

El Rancho Unified School District welcomes Jaime Hernandez to the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant team!  Ms. Hernandez will also serve on the working group for Element 5under the Early Childhood Social and Emotional Learning Programs team.

As a Licensed Vocational Nurse (L.V.N.), she will be responsible for providing home visits and case management for pregnant teens. Additionally, she will conduct parenting classes for pregnant teens and teens who are already parents.  Ms. Hernandez’s credentials are from Advanced College, a private nursing school, and her experience as an L.V.N. comes from working at the Colonial Gardens Nursing Home in Pico Rivera. She continues her college education to become a speech pathologist from California State University, Los Angeles.

Jaime is a native of Pico Rivera and was educated in the district’s school system beginning with Selby Grove Elementary and graduating from El Rancho High School four years ago.  She loves dancing; Jaime was an Aztec dancer for several years. Her other leisure interests include hiking and camping.  Sunset-watching on the beach is another favorite pastime for Jaime, but probably the most important thing in her private life at this time is enjoying date nights with her new fiancé.

ERUSD is very pleased to have someone with Jamie Hernandez’s qualifications on board. Her youthful enthusiasm and nursing experience is a perfect fit with our teen pregnancy parenting programs provided under the SS/HS grant initiative.