SANTA ANA : Child Center Offers After-School Care

If fourth-grader Noe Hernandez went home after class at R. F. Hazard Elementary School, no one would be there to greet him.

Both of his parents have full-time jobs and can’t afford to pay anyone to care for their youngest child. But instead of being left to his own devices, 10-year-old Noe spends his afternoons at the Figueroa Child Development Center.

“I would be bored with nothing to do if I didn’t come here,” said Noe, who lives within walking distance of the small center near Harbor Boulevard and 5th Street.

For the past four years, the center has earned the appreciation of area parents.

“This neighborhood is very hard,” said parent Victoria Meza. “There are a lot of drug dealers and nightclubs in the area and the parents need a place to keep their kids away from these things.”

The center provides up to 26 children with after-school academic assistance and recreational activities five days a week. Children are accepted into the center based on economic need, said Susan Fahrney of the Community Resources Opportunity Project, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit organization which opened the center four years ago.

“We try to eliminate the child-care barrier to employment for these families,” Fahrney said. “The parents are able to work because they know the kids are in a safe place. They are in an environment where they are happy and they’re learning and they are able to bring that back into the family.”

There is typically a waiting list with an average of 25 children’s names on it, but the center only has enough money to accept a limited number at one time, Fahrney said.

Children at the center must first complete their homework before participating in other activities, including sports, art, reading, science and culture exploration.

The center was recently awarded an $8,500 grant from the Mervyn’s department store chain and used the money to hire a part-time teacher who, in addition to supervising homework, serves as a tutor in English and math.

“We are trying to help them with their weaknesses,” said teacher Sue Liu, who is creating an English as a Second Language tutoring program that will supplement what the children learn in school.

“They don’t just come here to have fun,” Liu said. “But everything is done very informally and they are given a great deal of individual attention.”

The center has a full-time director but is mostly staffed by volunteers, such as Andy Rivera, a 60-year-old retired postal worker. Rivera, an artist, draws coloring sheets for program participants, including a detailed drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. that was used during activities last week.

“It’s important to be here for these kids,” Rivera said. “The neighborhood is tough, so by us having them here and helping them with their homework, it helps to keep them away from problems in the street and hopefully, they will make something of themselves in the future. Most of these children need love, and that’s what we try to offer them.”