The Family Resource Center at Fairwood Elementary School celebrated its grand opening with a Ribbon Cutting ceremony on May 21, 2012.
Funded by FIRST 5 and operated by two local non-profit organizations, The Health Trust and SJB Child Development Centers, the Family Resource Center has been welcoming families since early 2012. About 80 to 100 families have participated in activities ranging from art enrichment classes to soccer programs and parent education sessions. FIRST 5’s Learning Together Initiative funds 17 Family Resource Centers similar to the Fairwood center across Santa Clara County. Jolene Smith, FIRST 5 Chief Executive Officer, expects the Fairwood center to serve more than 700 families each year.
The Grand Opening celebration began with Keith Morales, Fairwood Family Resource Center program manager, welcoming the audience. Representatives from The Health Trust (CEO, Fred Ferrer), SJB Child Development Center (CEO, Kent Williams), and the office of Assembly Member, Rich Gordon (Margot Grant), as well as Sarah Tellez, Fairwood’s principal, spoke about the collaborative efforts among these agencies to help prepare children ages 0 to 5 for kindergarten and support their families. The Family Resource Center also serves as an information and community resource hub for participating families where they can obtain assistance with health insurance enrollment and school enrollment.
The Fairwood Resource Center is in Portable #1 at Fairwood Elementary School, 1110 Fairwood Avenue, Sunnyvale. The center is open for walk-in families on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to noon. Call (408) 684-4785 for information on regularly scheduled classes and other services.
Article by Nina Wong-Dobkin, with assistance from Sarah Tellez, Keith Morales and Charlene Maggiore
