Grantee Profile: South Bay Center for Counseling

Two years ago, Leoncia Tzompatle was a timid mother of two who could not read in English or her native Spanish. But today, she's a different person.

Using parenting skills she gained from the South Bay Center for Counseling, she is now confidently reading daily in Spanish with her children, 5 year-old David and 8-year-old Esther. She's also learning English as a second language at a local adult school.

As parent mentor at her children's Gardena elementary school, she volunteers daily in onsite nutrition program. Upon graduating from a 10-week parent leadership class, Tzompatle created a "health board" about diabetes and heart disease to educate her peers about the importance of family health.

"Leoncia is just one example of the nearly 1,000 parents we reach every year who are learning how to be their child's first and best teacher," said Mary Hammer, director of Family Support and Community Services for South Bay Center for Counseling (SBCC), a First 5 LA grantee.

"At our four centers in Gardena, Wilmington, Lawndale and Carson, we offer play groups, field trips, and other activities that help parents and family care providers prepare young children for kindergarten."

Since more than half of LA County 4-year olds don't attend preschool, school readiness programs in underserved communities fill a gap for many families. "There is a shortage of preschools, and culturally, many immigrant families prefer to keep their young children in the home or in the care of relatives," Hammer said.

"We support parents and caregivers by providing early childhood development training, loans of educational toys, nutrition workshops, and other services that foster school readiness," she added.

For information, contact Amparo Diaz at (310) 414-2090.