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Champion Staff: Urban Education Partnership Builds on Community Strengths

November 5, 2007
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If they had to describe their organization in just one word, the staff of Urban Education Partnership's (UEP) school readiness program would say "community." Each of the 26 staff members have lived in the communities they serve, South Los Angeles and Sylmar, for years, and have joined UEP to give back.

"These areas, South L.A. and Sylmar, have so many assets," said Senior Executive Director Ellen Pais. "We believe in identifying and building on them."

The two UEP sites collectively service more than 1,500 families through classes, case management, home visitation and other services that help children move towards academic success. Because many staff members share the same life challenges that program participants face — juggling work and family, and some with special needs children — they serve as excellent role models for participants who are learning how to manage successfully.

Staff members also have a wide range of life and work experiences, and show how an employee can grow in a supportive environment. For some, UEP has provided their first job outside of the home and their first opportunity to test their career potential as English-language speakers. Others have chosen UEP as their "American" career choice, after having different careers in other countries. Some are grandmothers who have decided to go back to work and share their experience with the new generation, while some are college students giving back to their community.

One thing is certain about all of the staff – they are invested in helping children become school ready. When Josefina Sapriza, UEP's associate director, learned from the local Miramonte Elementary School principal that nearly one-third of the entering kindergarteners lacked preschool experience, she and School Readiness Manager Nancy Villarreal developed a bridge program to help better prepare the new students. UEP staff and Miramonte teachers ran a Kindergarten Academy that met twice a week. At the completion of the program the children had become fully acclimated to the school, could appropriately separate from their parents to quickly engage in the learning process, and even gained basic academic skills.