Migrant Education

Migrant instructional services are delivered to eligible migrant students through school in a variety of instructional programs through various extended day settings: after school instruction, Saturday schools, and summer school. Most extended day programs operate 3-5 days per week at participating school sites in Kern County.

Currently identified migrant students are served based on the students’ demonstrated needs for academic instruction in language, math, reading and classroom progress.

To reinforce the efforts of school districts in providing instructional services to students, Region V provides special inservice training through the Regional Staff Development Inservices held during the year. The unique instructional and curriculum needs demonstrated by migrant students are addressed through a variety of teaching strategies, curriculum and hands-on activities of a demonstrational nature that classroom teachers can readily implement.

Health and its relationship to school success is important. Region V provides supplemental health services to assist families in the health needs of their children. In addition, health education is made available to staff, students and parents to help remediate health problems which interfere with learning. Once a year, Region V contracts with a mobile dental clinic to operate and provide dental services to selected migrant students based on the immediate degree of need.

• Region V provides supplemental health services to those migrant students with identified medical/dental needs.
• Region V arranged for supplemental health funding for medical, dental, vision and prescription services.
• Region V referred migrant children for low cost and/or free medical services in the county/state.

The goal of Migrant Education is to help students meet California and local standards for student achievement through educational instruction and health services. As a result of frequent moves during the school year, most migrant students demonstrate educational needs in reading, math and health services. It is the purpose and goal of Region V to identify migrant students in order to make available and provide educational instruction and health services to help ensure that migrant students benefit from state and local systemic reforms that enrich and strengthen migrant students in the basic educational curriculum.

Migrant Education Funding

The Migrant Education Program is funded by the Office of Migrant Education of the U.S Department of Education under the Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act as amended in 1994: Improving America’s School Act (IASA) P.L. 103-382. The California Plan for the Education of Migrant Children provides supplementary educational services to children of migrant agricultural workers, as well as those working in logging, fishing and other migratory industries in our nation, through Basic Formula Grant Programs. Region V is the Operating Region for Migrant Education in Kern County serving over 6,000 migrant students.

The CLOSE UP PROGRAM FOR NEW AMERICANS is an educational program for recently immigrated students. The program explores the United States government process and issues at the local and state levels. Students participate in community related activities and service-learning projects tat help them become familiar with government processes, issues and concerns. The various activities lay the groundwork for the program’s last component: the Washington Study Visit. At the nation’s capital, students are given a hands-on leaning experience by directly interacting with policymakers and government leaders in seminars and small group discussions.

Family Project
This is a middle school project for students and their parents aimed at strengthening communication between schools, teachers, parents and Migrant Education. Various techniques and strategies are explored that contributed to the process of developing and achieving long term goals, positive social interaction and communication skills.

KINDER PREP PROGRAM was developed by the University of California, Berkeley, Extension Center, Bakersfield. Teachers receive special training to assist parents in preparing their four year old children for kindergarten success. Parents learn to assess their children’s kindergarten readiness, set individual learning goals, make learning games to achieve goals, meet with their child’s future kindergarten teacher and visit classrooms.

Parent Involvement

Parent involvement is a very important component of Migrant Education, and Region V is actively involved in providing direction and leadership. Active parent participation begins at the school district level by involving parents in local Migrant Advisory Council meetings. Region V encourages parent involvement and actively provides information and training in education programs that enhance and strengthen parent participation in their children’s academic achievement.

Regional Parent Advisory Committee

The Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) consists of two parent representatives from each participating elementary school district and secondary schools. Meetings are conducted using parliamentary procedure. Presentations and information are provided as requested by the RAC members on issues that promote parent involvement and education. Scholarships are sponsored through the RAC and made available to eligible migrant students who plan to attend college.

Region V Parent Conference

This is a countywide parent conference coordinated with the Regional Advisory Committee for parents of migrant children. The focus of the conference is to strengthen parenting skills, communication and leadership strategies and techniques beneficial to parents at home, school and community.