By Laurie McLaughlin
June 16, 2005

Talking to fourth- and fifth-graders about the possibilities of financing a college education may sound premature, but Jill English knows that most, if not all, of the at-risk students in the Conectate after-school and summer program may never otherwise get the message and realize it’s possible.

”Half of our kids do not believe that they need a high school diploma to get a good job, let alone a college degree,” says English, director of the Conectate Family Life Center and a lecturer in kinesiology and health science. “We take them to CSUF events, and we’ve had staff from university outreach come and talk to the kids about the importance of finishing high school, as well as college
funding. A lot of them assume they will never be able to afford it.”

The Conectate (a Spanish word meaning “connect”) Program has received $250,000 in second-year funding as part of a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. There are 22 Family Life Centers in the nation; Conectate is the only one in California. Its focus is on Hispanic youth at a high risk for violence.

“Part of the grant’s requirement is that it be connected to a university and serve children within a 10-mile radius,” says English. She works with Michelle Berelowitz, director of Cal State Fullerton’s Center for Community Collaboration who secured the grant, and faculty members Mikyong Kim-Goh, chair and professor of human services and the program’s evaluator, and Clay Sherman, professor of kinesiology and health science, who assists with evaluation and oversees the recreational development aspects of the program’s curriculum.

Located at Richman Elementary School in Fullerton, the Conectate Family Life Center is free to students and operates four days a week with 40 participants. The program covers six required curricular areas: academics, recreation, cultural development and family bonding, as well as personal and career development. About a dozen Cal State Fullerton students mentor the 9- to 11-year-olds in each of the disciplines, and guests from various walks of life – from jewelry store staff who discuss gems and stones to ROTC personnel who speak about military careers – visit to share experience, knowledge and expertise.

Part of the program’s mission is to strengthen families and improve communication between parents and their kids, so Conectate offers monthly family nights for each student’s family, as well as several field trips during the course of the year, including excursions to the beach and local museums.

“With 40 students and their whole families, that’s a lot of people, but some of the parents have made comments to us about how they communicate better as a family because of the opportunities we provide,” says English. “In just two years we’ve seen immense improvement in our students.

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