Village Community Resource Center - VCRC

Background

Village Community Resource Center (VCRC) in Brentwood, California is a community-based non-profit organization (501 c3) that serves low and very low income families in Far East Contra Costa County.  While the majority of our clients are Latino; VCRC does not discriminate because of age, race, gender, national origin, ethnicity, residential status, veteran states, sexual orientation or disability.

The mission of VCRC is to provide information, support, and coordination of resources to empower and improve the quality of life of disadvantaged children and their families in a culturally sensitive environment. We believe in being advocates for the families we serve while empowering them to advocate for themselves, toward the goal of being self-sufficient.  VCRC offers a variety of supportive services and activities for children, youth, and families in a safe and nurturing environment. Services are prevention-focused, family-friendly, and available in English and Spanish. VCRC provides access to resources, which improve neighborhood and community conditions by implementing educational, social services, and health components.

Programs

The After School Academy provides educational assistance for children from Kindergarten through 5th grade.  Currently 87 students are enrolled, receiving education support three days a week.  In 2015, we plan to open a satellite site in Byron which will serve up to 40 students during the 2015-2016 academic year and up to 90 students by 2017.  In addition to academic support, we provide key educational links between parents and K-8 school sites by meeting with administrators, teachers, and staff. We help families navigate the school system, understand policies and procedures, and advocate for students when necessary so that our students might have opportunities equal to their classmates.

We believe parental engagement in their child’s academic life is vital to student success. For this reason, we require parents of Kindergarten-5th grade students in our program to attend monthly parent meetings. Parent meetings cover educational topics and train parents how to best provide academic support for their children. Here are descriptions of our targeted programs in the After School Academy:

Read to Succeed – Literacy Program (Kinder-3rd Grade)

Our new Literacy Program provides intensive support for Kindergarten-3rd grade students through phonics, sound blending, and reading comprehension. The program teaches letters through sounds and movement, which are reinforced with games and activities. As students progress, the focus turns to fluency and reading comprehension taught through interactive, hands-on activities as well as computer tutorials which show students how to be proactive readers.

Homework Club (4th-5th Grade)

The goal of this program is to assist and guide students toward independent completion of homework while exposing them to the opportunity of pursuing higher education. Focus is placed on problem solving techniques, literacy and writing strategies, research assistance and math skills. Daily homework logs detailing level of homework completion, reasons for non-completion (if applicable), and remaining assignments needing to be completed at home ensure regular communication with parents.

In addition to the educational programs listed above, we also provide free translation and advocacy services as well as referrals to other local services agencies.  Every Saturday, John Muir Mobile Health Clinic comes to our center to provide free medical services to those who are uninsured or underinsured.