Child develoment department benefits from grant

By Gayle Yglesias
The Guardsman

City College’s Child Development and Family Studies Department, along with the Cesar E. Chavez Institute of SF State, was awarded a grant through Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention program.

CalGRIP is a program Schwarzenegger proposed in 2007 that aims to prevent at-risk youth from being exposed to gang-related activities. According to the CalGRIP website, the program spent more than $31 million in state and federal funding on local anti-gang efforts. This includes job training, education and intervention programs. It gave law enforcement tools to closely track gang leaders, both inside state prisons and after prisoners are released on parole.

City College, in partnership with SF State, received an $80,000 grant, which will be used to recruit students into after-school programs as youth workers.

“The grant was officially awarded to the school this July,” Kathleen White, the chair of City College Child Development and Family Studies Department, said. “Start-up began this semester and as of right now we are just doing outreach.”

Fliers are currently circulating City College with information on opportunities, outcomes, support and enrollment requirements. Some opportunities include paid work experience (while enrolled in the program), placement assistance in after-school programs and the ability to work with children.

According to a Schwarzenegger’s press release, the process was a competitive one. Applications for these grants were judged on over 20 different factors, including the “number of gang-related homicides and other crimes, demographic information and use of evidence-based practices.”

“I think the purpose of the program is a nice way to invest money in our youth by trying to get them off the streets. It will definitely make an impact and steer them away from joining gangs and getting involved in gang-related activities,” SF State student Christine Yanga said.

There are many community-based organizations that support City College and SF State such as Larkin Street Youth Services, White said.

Key partners include California Age Consortium, Growing and Learning Opportunities and the San Francisco Department of Children.