Please click below to read about any of our programs and services (in alphabetical order):
Case Management
Case management provides one-on-one individual and confidential sessions with families to identify specific areas of need, complete the Parent Empowerment Assessment Tool (PEAT), and set realistic goals for change using a strength-based approach. Families work with their Case Manager to develop and implement a Family Plan to accomplish their goals.
Children’s library
The Robert L. Severns Children's Library at GFS is the only library in the local community serving families with young children. With no public libraries within walking distance, the Children's Library offers a welcoming environment that invites families to discover the joys and love of reading. The Library has a collection of more than 10,000 Spanish, English, and bilingual books appropriate for children ages 0 to 8 years of age.
child enrichment program
While parents attend other programs, their children attend GFS’s Child Enrichment Program for educational and interactive care. Children engage in a variety of learning activities, such as age-appropriate art activities that develop their fine motor skills, engage their senses, and instill creativity. We also emphasize the importance of whole-group and small-group activities, helping develop children’s social skills and strengthening peer relationship.
EQ4Kids
Program implemented at local schools to help the social and emotional development of children.
Hablemos Juntos
This program addresses the widely reported “word gap” that exists between disadvantaged toddlers and their higher socio-economic peers. In a series of workshops and practical application exercises, parents of children 12-36 months learn about the development of the brain, and what they can do to nurture their child’s cognitive and socio-emotional development to improve their success in school and in life.
NuParent
NuParent provides parents of infants with the confidence and skills to deal with the challenges of being a new parent and to support their child’s health and development. Parents and their infants attend together. NuParent supplies learning experiences and hands-on activities that develop knowledge about the stages of infant development and how to create a healthy, nurturing home environment. This 8-week program also includes opportunities for participants to create a support network to reduce the feeling of isolation and stress.
Parent Empowerment Assessment Tool (professional development)
The Parent Empowerment Assessment Tool (PEAT) assesses parents’ empowerment in four domains (culture, parenting, basic needs, community support). The tool is used in Case Management to help families identify areas for development. You can find the tool, here.
Raising A Reader Plus
Raising A Reader Plus (RAR Plus) rotates bright red bags filled with award-winning books into children's homes on a weekly basis, exposing children on average to over 100 books per rotation cycle. RAR Plus pairs this book rotation with parent training and information on how to effectively share books to promote family literacy habits.
SEEDS of Early Literacy Program (professional development)
SEEDS is an evidence-based, nationally recognized program that GFS uses as part of their professional development of licensed child care providers.
Sí, Se Puede Collective (collective impact)
Grail Family Services is part of the Sí, se puede! Collective, which includes Amigos de Guadalupe, School of Arts & Culture, Grail Family Services and SOMOS Mayfair. The Sí, se puede! Collective brings together four like-minded and respected community agencies serving disadvantaged Latino families in the Mayfair neighborhood of East San José. Through joint advocacy, coordinated service delivery and accessibility, we are working to create a model of organizational collaboration and integration to promote greater collective impact and inform the broader field.
Strengthening Families Program
Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is an evidence-based family skills training program designed to reduce problem behaviors, increase positive family communication and to improve social competencies and school performance. SFP assists families in developing a stronger bond, better communication, and learning how to deal with challenges more effectively. It is hosted on a school campus, in Spanish and English, in 14 weekly 2-hour sessions, has student participation, and includes family dinner time and child care. SFP serves from 8 to 12 families per session.
StaTE-FUNDED PRESCHOOL
Grail Family Services' State-funded Preschool offers low-income families the opportunity to provide their 3-5 year olds with the cognitive, social-emotional and physical development and skills that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
Support Group
The program is designed to help women build a network of support by providing a safe space where they can share their experiences, learn, and reduce their sense of isolation. It is an 8-week program and usually runs once every ESL Semester. Common themes are self-esteem, depression, anxiety, disciplining children, self-care, and health and exercise.
Yes We Can...Read! PLUS (YWCR+)
Yes We Can…Read! Plus (YWCR+) provides kindergarten and 1st grade students with a strong foundation in early literacy and early math skills through one-on-one mentoring and family engagement. The program has been implemented in the Alum Rock Union School District for 9 years, and has 3 components:
- Mentor Sessions: Volunteer Mentors from local corporations, universities and the community-at-large are trained and matched with K-1st graders to provide weekly, one-on-one sessions to develop and strengthen foundational early literacy and math skills. Sessions are structured and interactive, and focus on specific literacy and early math milestones.
- Parent Engagement Workshops: Parent Engagement Workshops provide parents with knowledge and tools to support their child’s learning, and also promote open communication between parents and teachers to create a network of support for the child.
- Family Literacy Nights: Family Literacy Nights are conducted in partnership with the San Jose Public Library and include hands-on activities that put into practice some of the concepts learned in the Parent Engagement Workshops. Parents and children participate together in literacy and math related activities. In addition to promoting family engagement, these workshops provide parents and children with critical information on how to access the public library system and resources.
ESL
Our innovative approach to ESL has 3 components: 1)Traditional ESL classes 2) Sed de Saber, a self-paced, culturally sensitive technology approach that builds on the traditional class and 3) Let’s TALK, TALK, and TALK Cafecitos (held monthly) where participants practice what they've learned with English-only speakers. All participants take part in all three strategies.
Family Engagement impact project (FEIP)
In September 2014, Grail Family Services and its Family Engagement Impact Project (FEIP) partners began to develop family engagement messages that would be easy for families to put into practice. The messages would answer the question: “what does it mean to be an engaged parent?” As a first step, we divided the original messages (36 of them) into messages and strategies. The messages are ideas parents can keep top of mind, while the strategies are simple ways to put those ideas into practice. We eventually reduced the number of messages to six, and the strategies to no more than three per message. We then shared this draft with parents at each of the partner agencies. Parents gave us substantial feedback, most of which was integrated into the final version of the messages and strategies - which we now call the Building Blocks of Parenting. Please find the final version of the the Building Blocks here (for English) and here (for Spanish), and follow these guidelines if you do.
Each of the Building Blocks is supported by a body of research that explains why they are important and effective for parents and families. For each of the 6 messages, we wrote a summary of the research that supports it. We hope this helps staff working directly with families to explain the importance of the Building Blocks in helping families support the positive development and educational outcomes of their children. You can find this summary, here.
This comprehensive family engagement training gives providers specific tools to interact with the parents of the children they serve. Participants gain an understanding of what research says about family engagement, how to promote family engagement and overcome common obstacles, the role of The Building Blocks of Parenting in family engagement, and how to develop a plan for family engagement.
Each of the Building Blocks is supported by a body of research that explains why they are important and effective for parents and families. For each of the 6 messages, we wrote a summary of the research that supports it. We hope this helps staff working directly with families to explain the importance of the Building Blocks in helping families support the positive development and educational outcomes of their children. You can find this summary, here.
This comprehensive family engagement training gives providers specific tools to interact with the parents of the children they serve. Participants gain an understanding of what research says about family engagement, how to promote family engagement and overcome common obstacles, the role of The Building Blocks of Parenting in family engagement, and how to develop a plan for family engagement.
