Up Valley students spend the summer learning

Organization: Aim High for High School dba Aim High

What's needed: $25,000 to expand and pilot the Aim High program in Calistoga

People served: 55 students in Calistoga in grades 6-9

What they do: Aim High is a free summer learning and enrichment program that serves middle school students in high-need communities throughout Northern California. The nonprofit chose to focus on grades 6-9 because research shows that middle school achievement is an important indicator of college readiness and success, and students whose parents can’t afford private pay enrichment programs are at risk for “summer slide.” Summer learning loss is credited with being one of the biggest contributors to the widening achievement gap between kids living in poverty and their wealthier peers. Aim High's goal with the five-week, 150-hour class is to prepare low-income middle school students, both academically and emotionally, for high school and college, and to improve students' chances of graduating high school and attending college. Part of the program’s methodology also includes hiring teachers of color (preferably local), because studies show that students of color perform better when taught by teachers who look like they do; Aim High also strives to hire alumni whenever possible. Aim High partners closely with On the Move to provide support to Aim High students during the academic year, and Migrant Ed to ensure that about 25 percent of Aim High's students in Napa are from migrant families. Each summer is used to prepare the youth for the following academic year, and grade-appropriate academic courses, like math, language arts and science, are paired with classes on healthy decision-making, interpersonal relationships and digital citizenship. Aim High’s class sizes are small and utilize project-based learning, and kids also participate in enrichment activities, like cooking, dance and environmental studies in the field. The model is working; about 80 percent of students improve their math skills over the summer, 90 percent report a more positive attitude toward learning and 98 percent of Aim High students graduate high school on time and enroll in college. Aim High piloted its program in Napa in 2016, where it serves approximately 150 students each summer. Now, in partnership with the Calistoga Joint Unified School District (CJUSD), Aim High would like to expand to serve students in Calistoga in the summer of 2020. 

Contact: Alec Lee, Executive Director, [email protected]

Promising students develop their potential

Programs: AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) in Napa and Calistoga

Organizations: Calistoga Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) and Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD)

What's needed: $10,000 to each CJUSD and NVUSD for the AVID programs for college field trips, tutors, teacher training and parent education

People served: 121 students in Calistoga and 3,880 students in Napa

What they do: AVID is a nationally recognized program that targets first-generation, low-income young people that have the potential to attend four-year college, but need to develop the skills to do so. Teachers and counselors identify AVID candidates by screening for academic and demographic attributes, plus students’ desire and determination; since this is an elective class, it is often taken in place of art, music or another non-academic subject. In the AVID classroom at the middle and high school levels, kids are immersed in strengthening their writing and reading-comprehension skills, learning effective note-taking strategies and using the Socratic Method of inquiry to discuss ideas and problem-solve in groups. High school students also receive weekly tutoring by college students and AVID alumni in a variety of subjects, and participate in leadership development to build resilience that will help them to persevere through college. At the elementary level, students learn foundational organizational and study skills, as well as critical thinking techniques. An important tenet is the development of a college-going mindset, which is encouraged by biannual trips to college campuses, and family workshops on applying to -- and affording -- post-secondary education. The program is yielding results. On average, 95 percent of AVID high school seniors meet college entrance requirements and apply and are accepted to college, and 100 percent of AVID students graduate high school. While in high school, nearly 82 percent of AVID students are enrolled in advanced placement courses. In the CJUSD, the AVID program reaches 121 middle and high school students. In the NVUSD, AVID is conducted in seven elementary schools, five middle schools and three high schools, reaching a total of 3,880 kids. District funding covers teacher salaries, AVID memberships and some professional development, but the program must fundraise for tutors, college field trips, parent and family education and additional teacher training.

Contacts: Erin Smith-Hagberg, Superintendent, CJUSD, [email protected] and Dr. Rosanna Mucetti, Superintendent, NVUSD, [email protected]

Kids and parents use play to prepare for preschool

Organization: Up Valley Family Centers of Napa County aka UpValley Family Centers (UVFC)

What's needed: $10,000 for the Niños Activos program

People served: 130 kids ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers

What they do: UVFC provides education, support and resource and referral services to up Valley residents of all ages. One of the agency’s earliest interventions with a family is through its Niños Activos program, a twice-weekly playgroup offered free-of-charge in both Calistoga and St. Helena to children ages 0-5, and their parents or caregivers. The program serves low-income, English-learning families who are unlikely to be able to afford private preschool for their children (the up Valley communities have a dearth of publicly funded preschool spots). The goal? To involve parents or caregivers -- who are their child’s first and most important teachers -- in activities that help their children develop socially and emotionally and ready them for the kindergarten classroom. At this stage of a child’s development, play is key to social/emotional growth, language acquisition and pre-literacy skill-building. Therefore, the play-based classes utilize curriculum and activities designed to engage caregiver and child together in reading, talking and singing. The teachers, who are trained in early childhood development, also model strategies that parents can use to teach essential skills, like holding a pencil, counting, identifying shapes and colors and exerting self-control and appropriate behavior in a classroom environment. Parents also can have UVFC staff periodically screen their child's progression on developmental milestones using an evidence-based tool, and refer them to outside services should any delays be detected. The nonprofit partners with other programs to help parents continue the learning at home, like Raising A Reader, in which families take home a weekly bag filled with award-winning books (in English or Spanish, or a mix). 

Contact: Jenny Ocon, Executive Director, [email protected]