Collaborative for Academics, Recreation & Enrichment for Students
News
Students CARE for school garden
Date:August 3, 2011 By:Nanci L. Valcke, Contra Costa Times
Each year scores of Mt. Diablo High School students fill out job applications to get down and dirty pulling weeds, sowing seeds and then harvesting vegetables, flowers and learning cultivation skills at the school's edible garden. Full Story »
School's Out: East Bay kids ask state lawmakers how they spent their childhood summers
Date: June 27, 2011 By: Katy Murphy, Oakland Tribune
On the first day of summer, yellow school buses unloaded dozens of students from the Mt. Diablo, San Francisco and Sacramento school districts in front of the state Capitol. Read More »
CARES is now enrolling for Summer 2011
CARES Summer 2011 schedule and emergency cards.
Elementary Schools:
Bel Air Elementary: July 25—Aug 18 Time: 12pm – 3:00 pm
Cambridge Elementary: June 13—July 22 Time: 11:30am – 3:00 pm
Delta View Elementary: August 8—25 Time: 11:45am – 3:00 pm (Mon to Thurs only)
El Monte Elementary: June 13 — July 8 Time: 10:30am – 3:00 pm (Mon to Thurs only)
Fair Oaks Elementary: Aug 1 – Aug 19 Time: 11:30am – 3:00 pm
Meadow Homes Elementary: July 25—Aug 19 Time: 11:30am – 3:00 pm
Rio Vista Elementary: July 18— Aug 16 Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Shore Acres Elementary: July 25—Aug 18 Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Sun Terrace Elementary: Aug 1 – 26 Time: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Ygnacio Valley Elementary: Aug 1 - Aug 19 Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Middle Schools:
El Dorado Middle: July 18—Aug 5 Time: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Riverview Middle: June 10—July 8 Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
High Schools:
Mt Diablo High: June 20—July 29 Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Ygnacio Valley High: June 20– July 29 Time: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Rand McNally, which has been making maps for more than 100 years, has created a Web site for educators that features free downloadable maps, activities and teaching tips that help incorporate social studies, geography and history lessons.
For proven and practical resources, please visit School-Age NOTES at www.schoolagenotes.com.
CARES Program Creates Quite a Squawk
Date: October 18, 2010 By: Carol Herbst, Oakland Examiner
If you were to walk onto El Monte's elementary school campus, in Concord, California, you might think the squawking sounds are coming from the teacher's lounge. In reality, it really is coming from a chicken coop, right smack in the center of the campus.
Chickens, you might ask? Is it in the country? No, but it's part of the on-going learning that goes on at the school! In fact, the vision of the CARES program is "Children Learning to Change the World."
CARES is the Collaborative for Academic, Recreation and Enrichment program for students that takes place from 3 - 6 p.m. every afternoon when the regular school day ends. El Monte is one of 18 schools in Mt. Diablo Unified School District that participate in the program. The program is funded by a combination of grants from federal, state, and city initiatives including The Federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District's new superintendent, Steve Lawrence, is explaining increased class sizes and cuts to programs.
The Martinez Unified School District is cutting the budget a with a hiring and spending freeze, no more teacher conference and travel reimbursements, and a savings-oriented energy audit.
With public education cutbacks, parents are turning to public and private nonprofit after school programs for education enhancement.
Free and reasonably priced classes provided at Mt. Diablo sites by Collaboration Academics, Recreation, and Enrichment for Students (CARES), the YMCA and Dianne Adair are more than a place for kids to have fun after school.
Mt. Diablo CARES Afterschool Program is part of the Healthy Behaviors Initiative, that seeks to improve children's health through afterschool programs. Learn how our Healthy Behaviors Learning Centers are successfully addressing the serious health problems facing students in low-income communities throughout California and most at risk of obesity, by helping afterschool programs instill healthy eating and physical activity habits in their students.
Date: October 22, 2009 By: Theresa Harrington, Contra Costa Times
Nearly one-fifth of children in California attend after-school programs where they can get homework help and hang out with their friends playing games or participating in enrichment activities.
Such strong enrollment has led the Afterschool Alliance to name California one of the "Top 10 States for Afterschool," according to an "America After 3PM" study. After-school participation rose from 12 percent in 2004 to 19 percent in 2009, the study found.
Contra Costa County school-site programs include fee and free activities. "The Creek" on Walnut Creek's two middle school campuses charges $19.24 per day for a safe place for sixth- through eighth-grade students to stay until 6 p.m. Enrollment has spiked to 175 this year, after a drop in February related to parents being laid off, said Tricia Carella, who helped establish the program five years ago.
Date: February 19, 2009 By: Sandy Kleffman, Contra Costa Times
In California, the Center for Collaborative Solutions recently announced the creation of healthy behavior learning centers at 10 after-school programs across the state, including Riverview Middle and Holbrook elementary schools in the Mt. Diablo school district. These centers will serve as models for other after-school programs.
After school programs help fight childhood obesity and hunger with healthy eating and exercise
Date: January 29, 2009 By: Theresa Harrington, Contra Costa Times
Fourteen-year-old Andy Balcazar eats healthy foods and stays physically active because he doesn't want to get diabetes, which runs in his family.
The Riverview Middle School eighth-grader is one of dozens of teens participating in a Mt. Diablo school district after-school program that gets them outdoors to play sports and also gives them opportunities to grow, cook and eat nutritious meals such as squash soup with whole-grain bread.
On Saturday April 19, 2008 CARES Students participated in an Earth Day clean up at Wildcat Creek in San Pablo. The creek clean up was sponsered by The Watershed Project and The City of San Pablo. Everyone pitched in and got down into the creek with their gloves and garbage bags to start getting the garbage that had been piling up. Students pulled out some unique items, a Baby Doll's head, a headless teddy bear, a gas barbaque and too many other things too list. The clean up was a great success, the students had fun and made a difference at the same time.
After the creek clean up everyone went over to the Earth Day Celebration and
spent the afternoon eating, learning about green friendly solutions, gardening
and just had fun. Students that participated were from Glenbrook Middle School, Riverview Middle School and Ygnacio Valley Elementary.
