Name of program: School Age Child Care (SACC)

What is the program’s goal? The goal of SACC is to provide childcare before/after school and vacations, when parents are in school, training, or must work for subsidized families in Fresno County.

When was the program established at EOC? 1985

Who do you help (client base)? Subsidized families with children in school grades kindergarten to six (5 to 12 years of age)

What are the eligibility requirements? Parent must be working, going to school or in a training program

How many clients do you serve monthly/annually? Monthly average 250 families.

Who is the current program manager? Roberta A. Ayer, Program Director

How many employees work for this program? 42 employees (full/part-time and on-call)

Where is your office / are your offices located? 1900 Mariposa Mall, Suite 119, in Fresno

Tell us about one of your “success stories” … Here are a couple of examples:

At Lane SACC we had a high-risk student who needed stability in his life.  The family of two consisted of a mother and one child.  The mother worked long hours to make ends meet.  There is a lot of crime in the neighborhood where the center is located. The mother needed her child to have a safe place to go from school and during the winter, spring, and summer breaks.  The child loved the animals in the center, especially the snake, turtle and gecko; he loved to feed and take care of them.  The staff always had time for her child by giving him T.L.C.  When they left the program it was due to moving to another location, but the mother was always appreciative of the staff and services we provided to her and her child.  It has kept her child from going astray in the new school. 

A single parent at Wishon SACC needed childcare because she was going to try to finish her GED.  She couldn't seem to find any kind of job that paid enough to survive.  She approached the Teacher Director at Wishon to find out if she qualified for the SACC program, when a parent was in training or attending school.  The Teacher Director helped her with the paperwork quickly, so she could enroll at Cesar Chavez Adult School to obtain her GED.  She then enrolled herself at Fresno City College.  The mother eventually obtained her AA degree.  During this time the mother interviewed with the Fresno County, as an eligibility worker, and was hired. The mother was grateful that the SACC program was available to provide her children with quality care and a caring staff.  The children are now attending middle school; but they still stop to see the staff at Wishon along with the mother to talk and give thanks for the loving care they were given while attending Wishon SACC.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your program? We have a program that reaches out to families that really need care for their school age children. Without our program these parents would not be able to work, be in training or attend school to better themselves.