ECHO PARK : Grant Would Aid Rosemont Programs

Rosemont Avenue Elementary School is hoping for a big gift from the state in the new year: a $400,000 grant to help provide free medical services, counseling and education to needy students and their families.

Community leaders are now applying for the Healthy Starts operational grant, which would provide the school at 421 N. Rosemont Ave. with $400,000 over three years to set up a multi-service Parent Center on campus. The application to the state is due in March, and officials hope to learn by June whether Rosemont will receive the grant.

The active parent involvement already at the school, as well as statistics that show the community includes many low-income, underserved immigrants, make Rosemont a prime candidate for the funds, said one education expert.

“I feel Rosemont has an excellent shot,” said consultant Maria Sesma Sooy, who is helping Rosemont and the community in its applications to the state.

The state Healthy Starts program operates on the philosophy that children do better in school if their health and human services needs are met.

The state first provides $50,000 planning grants to qualified schools to help the school community determine needs and services. Then, the state awards operational grants to certain schools to set up on-campus Parent Centers where the services are provided.

Rosemont officials, along with representatives of other local schools, medical clinics and the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, formed a community collaborative and received the $50,000 planning grant last spring.

The community collaborative used the money to study local, county and federal statistics of the area and conduct surveys among families to determine the key needs in the community.

After conducting interviews with 40 parents and reviewing the statistics and 52 questionnaires answered by families and school staff, the collaborative concluded that the top needs in the community are:

* Health care, both screenings and treatment;

* Child care, particularly in the afternoon and evening hours because so many parents work different hours;

* Parent education, including English classes and counseling as well as prenatal and job skills training;

* Increased academic support for students, including more parental involvement in the school.

Rosemont has already, on its own, initiated a parent program that has drawn several hundred parents to get more involved in their children’s education and community activities. The school has set up a Parent Room, which officials hope to turn into the Parent Center with the Healthy Starts funds.

Parents meet almost daily in the Parent Room for arts and crafts and English classes, as well as to talk about such issues as self-esteem or to help one another with practical questions such as where to apply for a driver’s license or financial aid.

“This is a very giving community,” said Wayne Langham, Rosemont principal. “But the Healthy Starts services . . . will help break down the red tape for them.”