El Concilio of San Mateo County Wins $65,000 for After-school Program

PALO ALTO – El Concilio of San Mateo County has received a $65,000 grant for its Kids Klub program from Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, foundation President and CEO Stephen Peeps announced today.

Kids Klub, an after-school program for young children, ages 9-11, was established in 1997 and serves youth in North Fair Oaks, East Palo Alto, Redwood City and East San Mateo. The program helps deter young people from participating in unhealthy, high risk activities and works with them to develop life-long skills such as conflict resolution, goal setting, good study habits, and healthy living skills. Monthly parent forums are offered to encourage family involvement.

The grant will be used to hire a coordinator for a new site in San Mateo at Garfield School and fund the cost of existing Kids Klub programs at Turnbull Learning Center and Horral Elementary School. The foundation has promised an additional $65,000 for Kids Klub at the end of 2001.

Kids Klub is among 32 child and youth nonprofit organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to receive $2.1 million in the first-ever round of grants from the 4-year-old foundation. The foundation’s two funding areas are protecting children (ages 0-5) from injury with emphasis on preventing child abuse and promoting emotional, mental and behavioral health in pre-teens (ages 9-13).

“During 18 months of planning and consulting with community leaders, we learned a lot about the health status of children in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and saw tremendous need,” said Peeps. “Most of the region’s children are born healthy, and the factors damaging or threatening their health are predominantly behavioral and therefore preventable. That’s why we chose to focus on prevention efforts within our two areas of interest.”

In 1998, for example, San Mateo reported 5,006 cases of child abuse and neglect, with the majority of cases being neglect. In Santa Clara County, 19, 565 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in 1999. Substance abuse, sexual risk taking, and suicidal thoughts among pre-teens are challenges each county continues to address.

Only six of the 32 programs funded are new. “We learned that what is needed most is bolstering existing programs,” said Peeps.

Other organizations funded include countywide projects such as the Cornerstone Project of Santa Clara County, which focuses on youth development, as well as smaller rural-based programs. Individual grants range from $36,000 to $300,000 over the course of one, two and three years.

“In a relatively short time, the foundation’s community grantmaking program has gone from a concept to a reality,” said Sharon Keating Beauregard, the foundation’s director of programs and grants. “It is rewarding to see resources getting out to the communities to strengthen the health and well-being of children. We are also excited about reaching more isolated communities that are traditionally underserved such as Pescadero, La Honda and San Gregorio.”

For more information about the foundation’s community grantmaking program and to see the entire list of grantees, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.lpfch.org, or call (650) 736-0676.