Stepping Stones
City’s popular pre-K program and others operating at a deficit
EL CENTRO — “What was last week’s letter? Can anyone remember?” recreation leader Bianca Sanabria asked the 15 to 20 children gathered in front of her for “circle time.”
“M!” shouted out at least half the kids in unison, while the others fidgeted alongside their parents in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sports Pavilion in El Centro on Monday.
“That’s right. So, this week’s letter is?” Sanabria waited for an answer. And waited. Being that these were children ages 3 to 5, who hadn’t yet been enrolled in kindergarten, or daycare for that matter, she didn’t get an answer all that quickly.
“This week’s letter is N,” she said, all smiles and patience.
Sanabria then proceeded to pick up a number of items that began with the letter N and sound them out with the kids: “Nana-na-nose. What about this? Na-na-na-napkin.”
Sanabria, a recreation leader with the city of El Centro Parks and Recreation Department, was leading the Camp Rock class of the city’s larger Stepping Stones kids’ program, an enrichment program meant to strengthen the bonds between parent and child while teaching socialization skills between the youths and other children and some basic instruction in pre-kinder fundamentals like the ABCs, counting and other skills.
“We sing. We dance. We do a lot of sensory [activities]. They establish relationships,” Sanabria said. “It’s something unique not really offered anywhere else.”
The program is unique, and the city is looking for ways to increase participation for its residents while also looking for a way to keep costs under control. One thing being considered right now is charging more for the program, which now costs residents $35 a month.
But that cost is too low, and the city wants to see this program and others grow, according to members of the El Centro City Council, who were given a presentation on a wide range of the city’s youth programs during a recent council meeting. It was discovered that several programs were running at deficit levels.
The Stepping Stones program is divided into two classes — Camp Pebble for babies up to 2 years old, and Camp Rock is for kids ages 3 to 5. Camp Pebble is twice a week for two hours, while Camp Rock runs four days a week for 90 minutes a session.
The program is solidly booked each month, Sanabria said, with parents paying their $35 a month to guarantee a spot that includes structured play time with parents and other children, the circle time component where kids learn basic skills, and crafts, physical activities and free play time toward the end of class.
Priscilla Rios of El Centro has been bringing her 3½-year-old daughter, Violet, since she was 2 years old. She swears by the program, saying she’s witnessed significant changes in her daughter in that time.
When Priscilla and her husband, Ray, began bringing Violet, she didn’t pay attention and didn’t want to share with other kids. “Now, it’s taught her how to interact with others.”
It’s the early interaction with children her own age that has been so attractive and important to Priscilla Rios. “We get to see how she is before kinder.”
For El Centro resident Brenda Bell, she also has witnessed positive changes in her 4-yearold son, Josiah.
“The program is amazing,” she said. “Socially, he’s blossomed and he’s really excelled.
“I really think it’s a great program. It really is a stepping stone for them to go to the next level,” Bell added.
As an only child, Josiah stays at home with Bell, so he doesn’t get the socialization that often comes with a child in daycare.
“He’s gained confidence, [and learned about] being part of a group and a team, understanding how to cooperate and share,” she said.
Bell added that Josiah looks forward to coming to the classes to explore and learn. She said it’s even carried over into how he behaves outside the classes; that is, he is intrigued by the world around him, and he wants to learn more.
Cost of providing services
City Councilman Jason Jackson and Mayor Cheryl Viegas Walker, as well as other members of the City Council, were caught off guard in recent weeks when a parent came before the council and expressed disappointment with a recreation program similar to Stepping Stones being abruptly cancelled by Parks and Recreation staff.
“That came as a surprise to me and other members of the council,” Viegas Walker said.
As a result, council directed community services director Adriana Nava to come back to the council with an overall report on youth-oriented rec programs, including participation rates, fees and costs to the city.
Stepping Stones, for instance, was running at a deficit of about $7,440 during the period of September to December. In that time, staff expenditures were $15,840, while anticipated revenue was only $8,400. Registration fees, according to a report from Nava, would have to be about $66 a month in order for the program to better pay for itself.
In the meantime, the city is having its fees looked at across the board in a rate study, and, Viegas Walker said, this was a good opportunity for recreation fees to be looked at a bit closer as well.
Jackson, in a move meant to recoup some costs, suggested an emergency item at the last City Councilman meeting of raising some registration fees by 25 percent on recreation programs. That wasn’t done, however, as the issue will be brought back to the council at a future council meeting.
Again, citing Stepping Stones as an example, to raise the cost of that program by 25 percent would see it go from $35 a month to $43.75 a month, still far below what was suggested as the real registration cost needed for the program, according to Nava’s report.
The council meets tonight, but the issue is not on the agenda.
Meanwhile, Viegas Walker and Nava both said Monday the idea is to grow the programs and that they are not in danger of shuttering. Nava said recreation staff is looking into grant opportunities to offset the costs of the programs.
Willing to pay more
Parents Rios and Bell both owe a lot to the Stepping Stones program, and both said they are willing to pay more if need be.
“I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more,” Rios said. “The program, I think it’s great for the community.”
She added that you can tell parents really want to be there with their children. A couple months back, she had to sit out of the program a month when she was late in registering and the 30-slot class was filled quickly. She returned a month later.
“I think the prices they charge are really good,” Bell said, and “I would pay more.”
Bell said staff is engaged and involved, the children love the program and so do the parents, and she would be happy to pay $50 a month or more.
“I think a lot of children would miss out if something were to happen to the program,” she added.
Not to spin this too far into the future, Bell said, but when people talk about keeping young people out of gangs and on the right track, those efforts start here, she said, referring to Stepping Stones.
“I’d like to see this last for a generation,” she said.