Editor’s Note: In 2013, California adopted the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which changes how school districts receive funds. Under LCFF, Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) will receive $19 million for the 2014-2015 academic year. On June 26, 2014, CVUSD approved the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), a document detailing local funding priorities that was created with input from parents, students, and other community stakeholders. Next, the Riverside County Board of Education will review the LCAP.

Coachella Unincorporated reporters reflected on the importance of parental involvement in their children’s education and why parents should help determine CVUSD’s funding priorities by answering the following questions:

Why should parents be involved in their child’s education?

Why should they help determine how funds get used in the Coachella Valley School District?

“Parents should take a more active role in their children’s education”

Parents should be involved in their child’s education in any way possible. Whether it be attending meetings, assisting them one on one or providing them with the necessary materials to succeed. Education starts at the home, therefore parents should take a more active role in their children’s education.

With parent involvement comes the question of whether or not parents should have a say in how finances are spent. Parents should have a say to a certain extent. They bring a different perspective to the table and one group of parents may feel that money is best spent on technology, while another group of parents may feel that an emphasis on math and reading skills is far more important. Nonetheless, a parent’s say in how finances should be spent is very important.

-Johnny Flores, student reporter

“Parents should definitely have a say in how funds get used”

A child’s education always begins at home. Schools are a community thing where parents need a say in how their kids spend their school days. Parents are not always going to know what’s best for their kids, but with teachers and administrations that are willing to work with parents, it could result in better communication with schools and families. Schools in Coachella also have to keep in mind that this is a working class community. I had a mother that worked ten hours a day. Parents who work a lot leads to many kids walking home and parents not knowing where those kids are going. It’s difficult to be involved at that point, but after-school programs and the school system’s involvement with the community can go a very long way.

Parents should definitely have a say in how funds get used for the school district. Teachers also need a say since they have first-hand experience with what the children lack in the classroom. In low income communities like Coachella, equipment and utilities always seems to be a problem, but being able to hire well-qualified teachers can go a long way as well. The program with the iPads didn’t work too well, so maybe the problem isn’t always technical. It all goes back to the district providing and communicating information on what is needed and what goes on in the classroom. It works so that parents are able to learn from that to know what their kids need.

–Ivan Valenzuela, student reporter

“Parents have the best interest for their children and their education”

Parents should be involved in their child’s education to show support and care, especially when children behave and get good grades. This in turn, shows children that if they do well, they are making their parents proud.

Parents should be involved in deciding where the funds for their children’s education are going because they have the best interest for their children and their education.

–Natalia Cervantes, student reporter

“Parents have the best interests for their sons and daughters”

A parent’s involvement in their child’s education process is crucial because the student will be highly motivated to do their best. If the parents are involved in their son and daughter’s school activities and parent workshops, the students will see how important their education is to their parents. All a child really wants is to make their parents proud.

Parents should help determine where the funds get used in the Coachella Valley School District because they’re the parents of the students who attend schools in that school district. The parents would be aware of what activities or extra help their kids would need in their classrooms. Parents have the best interests for their sons and daughters, not a group of people who has no experience with the economic difficulties students face day to day.

–Karla Martinez, student reporter

The 2013-14 school year marked the start of Coachella Valley Unified School District’s 1:1 Mobile Learning iPad Initiative, which will eventually provide every student with an iPad and faculty members with an iPad and a MacBook Air laptop.

On the district’s website, superintendent Dr. Darryl Adams states, “We are very excited about the education transformation taking place in our district. The students in our district will be well equipped to learn in the new 21st century learning environments that we are transforming to, that includes specific content instruction in science, special education, language arts, mathematics, social studies, physical education, foreign language as well as fine and performing arts.”

But what do students think? Coachella Valley High School seniors April Alarcón and Juan Flores share their very different personal experiences with their iPads to date.

My iPad is a Fun Distraction

I can guarantee you the majority of my classmates would agree with the above statement.

As seniors, we had the privilege of receiving the iPads before anyone else. The iPads were obviously intended to assist and organize students with schoolwork. Some students do use them to achieve that goal, but most students use them for fun.

Students, myself included, abuse the privilege of having an iPad by playing games during school hours when we should be on task. I hate to admit it, but we are not mature enough to handle such a blessing properly.

If you walk into a senior class and take a look around, this is what you will see: easily distracted and unfocused kids with shiny new toys. It is rare to find a student on task.

I can’t say I am happy to have an iPad. It is great fun and very entertaining, but playing games (when I should be doing homework) has become a terrible habit. The iPad is so tempting! I have become more of a procrastinator than ever.

Honestly, I know I am not the only one who feels this way. The iPads are not being used as intended, making me wonder if they should they be taken away. The blessing has become a curse, making every student even worse.

This is what the school used their funds on? Seems like a waste to me.

Will anything be done?

– Juan Flores

My iPad is a Great Study Aid

CVUSD issued its students iPads in hopes of providing a significant study aid, and this has been the case for me.

Without a doubt, the iPads can be a distraction, as one can easily go from one application to another without teachers noticing. However, for students who choose to use the device as a study aid, the iPads have been very helpful.

Within a few weeks, I found it had become a great asset. I have become more organized and on task. The iPads make it easy to stay organized, do quick searches online, work on assignments, and stay in touch with classmates. Instead of rummaging through a mess of papers looking for notes, I can easily find them on my iPad. When teachers are giving lectures, I can type the information a lot faster than struggling to write as fast as they speak. Tools on the iPad make my learning experience a lot more efficient. I can define words from any page on the device, work on assignments virtually anywhere, and use apps the district has bought for us, such as Pages, Keynote, even one for AP Macroeconomics. Recently, teachers have been using Internet tools such as Edmodo to post and turn in assignments.

With Wi-Fi throughout the school, all of this can be done quickly.

I do not own a computer and sincerely believe my school year would have been more stressful had it not been for my iPad. As a senior, I have responsibilities other than schoolwork. It’s a relief to be able to work on college applications anywhere.

My friends and I use the iPads very often; we use them for fun just as often as schoolwork. Nonetheless, I have become more adamant about my schoolwork since I received the iPad.

The iPads are a huge investment for our community even though the payoff will not be evident for a long time. However, I believe the iPads are a wise use of funds. Students can work more effectively; and, as society becomes more and more integrated with technology, the iPads offer us access to technology without worrying about being able to afford it.

– April Alarcón

BRENDA RINCON and AURORA SALDIVAR/Coachella Uninc

COACHELLA – Parents made their voices heard at a forum here earlier this week organized by The California Endowment (TCE) as part of its School Success Express Tour, meant to provide an opportunity for parents around the state to have a say in how their school districts uses state education funds.

California enacted a new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) this year that will result in more money for the neediest school districts, including Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD).  As the name implies, LCFF also gives the school districts themselves more say than in past years on how their state dollars get spent.

The forum in Coachella, like others being organized by TCE across the state, was an effort to make sure district officials take parent recommendations into account.

“We know that parental involvement is very important and impacts the success of students. We need to think about using a portion of these funds to get more parents involved,” said Jorge Ortiz, father of three students, to the approximately 150 community members present at Our Lady of Soledad Catholic Church.

Ortiz added there must be increased transparency from the school district and better communication between schools and parents.

Regina Hernandez, mother of three students, believes more funding for language arts in elementary school is needed. “This is why our children don’t succeed,” she said.

Like Ortiz, Hernandez urged other parents to get more involved in their children’s education.

“Speak. We need to raise our voice. If we want good futures for our children, we want good lives, we must do what we have to do,” she said. “Do not remain quiet. We have the future of our children in our hands.”

Lydia Torres Rodriguez, another parent, said that the funds should go to updating textbooks in local schools, many of which she said are over 10 years old.

“We [also] need more teacher training, state-of-the art technology, and a focus on common core standards,” said the parent of four, referring to the new federal guidelines for measuring school performance.

Some students were also in attendance. They expressed a desire for additional student support, including more resources for undocumented students and English learners, more Advanced Placement classes, and increased school library hours.

Education is a way out of poverty for many students in this agricultural region.

“My mother works in the fields, and she doesn’t want me to end up like that… she wants me to take advantage of the opportunity being given to me to get an education,” said Itcelia Segoviano. “My mother has done so much for me, and I hope that one day she no longer has to work and that I can provide her with everything she needs.”

FATIMA RAMIREZ/Coachella Unincorporated

COACHELLA — As I sit on a park bench, enjoying the appetizing food and appreciating the company of my classmates, I realize how much I have grown to appreciate every single one of them.

My classmates and I are taking part in a celebratory event known as Spring Picnic at Olive Crest Academy – the charter high school from which I graduate today — a  a day of fun, food and family at Bagdouma Park for the entire student body.

I have been a part of Olive Crest Academy (OCA) since the day it first opened its doors in 2010. While some might find it unorthodox to leave behind a familiar school in order to attend a completely different one, the promise of an early college model enticed me too much to decline the opportunity.

And with that leap of faith, I began my path to something I can only now recognize as fate.

OCA prides itself in offering qualified students the chance to participate in classes at College of the Desert. While I was applying to be a concurrent student during my junior year, I could not help but wonder what attending a college class would be like. After receiving the news that I had been accepted and the time came for scheduling classes, I was caught up in an array of bittersweet emotions. Although I had enrolled in a class during the fall term, it proved to be a more difficult task the second time around.

College of the Desert’s impacted classrooms and the fact that high school students are the lowest priority, I was not able to sign up for a class.

I stayed positive. When my counselor mentioned the possibility of crashing a course, I knew that somehow this would be the right solution. When I walked into the class, I soon realized I was not the only one with similar intentions for it was filled with people planning to get a spot in the class. As luck would have it, the way the professor decided to give away the remaining spots was by the drawing of cards. Luckily I was able to get one of the few remaining spots and went on to thoroughly enjoy and learn many lessons from this class.

Attending Olive Crest Academy has not only helped me be successful in my academics. Our family program, a daily class with the students and teacher who have been my school family for my entire time here, has taught me valuable life lessons and has provided me with a safe environment filled with people who genuinely care.

Teacher Margaret Hensel recently told Coachella Unincorporated, “I think (the family class) is such an awesome opportunity for the student body to really bond and come together and have a safe haven, not many schools – in fact, this is the only school – I’ve ever worked in that offered the family class and I think it’s wonderful.”

As I approach graduation, I cannot help but look back onto the past three years and be immensely proud and thankful for what the school has done for me. I would be extremely disappointed and upset if this opportunity was not given due to my school’s complicated relationship with the Coachella Valley Unified School District. (OCA is a charter school, but it operates under Coachella Valley Unified School District. The school board recently renewed the school’s charter for two years, against staff recommendation to deny the petition. The school’s future beyond that remains unclear.)

As part of the first graduating class, I look forward to seeing future classes benefit from the same experiences I have had as a student of Olive Crest Academy.

Fatima Ramirez is a reporter for Coachella Unincorporated. She will be a first year student this Fall at Northern Arizona University, where she plans to major in journalism. 

Learn more about Olive Crest Academy.

By Aurora Saldivar,
Coachella Unincorporated

MECCA, Calif. – University of Southern California doctoral student Christian Paiz spent this summer exploring the history of the Eastern Coachella Valley with local students, stimulating and facilitating discussions with the hope of inspiring change in his hometown.

“You see all these fields and then there are these resorts, this huge social marginalization. You start to ask the question, why is this like this, and who planned these cities,” says Paiz, a former teacher at Desert Mirage High School. “Growing up in Thermal, Palm Desert was far away and for some reason Mexicali was not.”

Fortunately Paiz had positive role models in his elementary and high school teachers who encouraged his educational pursuits.

“A lot of intellectuals write about the problem, we need to start writing about the work. Often people working in the fields are blamed for the poverty it creates,” says Paiz, 29, whose studies primarily focus on California farm workers and social movements. “They are not the original architects.”

Lindsay Gutierrez, 21, a graduate of Desert Mirage High School, decided to attend the lecture series for academic reasons.

“For my senior thesis, I will be focusing on post-war Coachella through the lens of Chicana feminist literature, and so I knew these lectures would be insightful,” says Gutierrez, a senior at Scripps College in Claremont. “Besides, Mr. Paiz was one of my high school teachers, and I knew of his inspirational teaching skills and his ongoing effort to educate and help our community. I knew I had to attend his lecture series.”

Gutierrez has already seen benefits from Paiz’s lecture series beyond academics.

“I’ve begun to use this new knowledge by talking to my relatives about it and helping them understand things like why we have a racially and socio-economically segregated Coachella Valley.”

Paiz initially created this program out of his desire to reconnect with former students such as Gutierrez. In doing so, he was able to teach them about the area’s history and introduce them to those working to promote health and improvement within the community. He met weekly with about 70 students over six weeks at the Mecca Public Library. Many community groups, local nonprofits, and other Eastern Coachella Valley professionals served as guest speakers.

“Many times we don’t know why certain things are the way they are, and we may take things as fixed, as simply situations that we cannot change,” says Gutierrez. “However, by knowing the history of our community, we can better understand the current conditions of this place and question these in hope of creating positive change.”

Paiz strongly believes that this type of thinking can lead to change.

“Intellectualism is very important for people in the Coachella Valley. We need to approach and see ourselves as intellectual beings; beings that can speak and express themselves.  Anyone and everyone should engage in rigorous thinking,” he says. “We need people to knock on doors. Changes in the world take place in everyday experiences and young people need to be involved.”

Paiz emphasizes that the Coachella Valley does not exist by itself. “People know when they have enough power to make systematic changes, people know that it’s immigrants and people of color that are hurt by policy. The power to make these changes needs to be built,” he says.

His biggest hope is that his students recognize they have this power.

“Their activism and involvement are important for all of us. Their energy and enthusiasm is the power,” says Paiz.

Paiz advises students to “follow your heart, feel fulfilled, and direct your work toward the public good.”

Despite each student’s unique professional pursuits, Paiz believes it’s important for everyone to work together toward change.

“It’s important for students to understand we need everyone, you can do this anywhere, we are all struggling together,” he says. “It’s important to know that we are struggling but also that we are surviving.”

By Brenda R. Rincón,
Coachella Unincorporated

INDIO, Calif. –  A large poster hangs above Victor Manuel Pérez’s desk at his district headquarters, with the words “This is our moment, this is our time” etched atop a pensive Barack Obama.

This certainly seems to be the case for Pérez. At 40, the Coachella Democrat is already in his second term in the California State Assembly. Pérez, the son of farmworkers who went on to earn a graduate degree from Harvard University, grew up in the district he now represents.

In his youth, he says to the four Coachella Unincorporated student reporters seated across from him, he accepted the realities of his upbringing, such as unsafe streets and lack of medical insurance.

“I had problems with my teeth,“ says Pérez. “When I was in pain, I had to wait until the end of the week so we could go to Mexicali.”

“Equity, Equality, Fairness, Access, Opportunity”

After graduating from Coachella Valley High School, Pérez attended the University of California at Riverside. It was there, he says, that he underwent a transformation.

“I became an angry young Chicano,” he says emphatically.

He joined MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán) and went on to form Unión Estudiantil de la Raza (Student Union for the People). He began questioning the things he once accepted as truths.

“Equity, equality, fairness, access, opportunity – what do these things look like, and how do you break it down? Is it access to health care, so you don’t have to go to Mexicali?”

The Chicano Studies/Political Science student began to understand how he could use his education to bring social justice to his community.

“It was partly growing up, seeing my parents come home from picking, so tired. It was partly seeing the homeboys ending up in the prison system or dying young. This has everything to do with me getting into politics.”

Pérez tells the story of losing a childhood friend to street violence.

“Alejandro was shot and killed on the same street where we played hide and seek and played football,” says the married father of two. “I named my youngest son after him so that I would never forget him.”

The pain is evident as he speaks.

“It still hurts,” he says quietly. “When I learned about injustice, I knew I was going into politics.”

Turning the Tables on Young Journalists

The walls of Pérez’s office are adorned with photographs, numerous awards and proclamations, Chicano artwork, and his Harvard degree.

Before being elected to the Assembly in 2008, he worked as a schoolteacher, a youth advocate, a community healthcare director and served on the board of the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

But instead of talking about his career and telling the stories behind the items displayed on his walls, Pérez turns the tables on the young journalists.  He wants to hear their stories.

One by one, the students introduce themselves and answer his questions about their schools, families, and future plans.

It turns out he knows the father of one reporter. He remembers another student from speaking at his high school. He went to high school with the uncle of yet another reporter. In fact, the Assemblymember is fairly certain he knew this particular young man as a baby.

The young journalists, impressed by Pérez’s ability to connect with each of them, are finally given an opportunity to ask their questions.

Guided by His Moral Compass

Pérez listens intently as reporter Ivan Delgado, a Coachella resident and student at College of the Desert, asks how the Assemblymember deals with opposition.

“One thing I’ve learned in politics is you can’t satisfy everybody,” he says. “There is always criticism. It goes with the territory.”

The Assemblymember recalls being interviewed live on a Univision station. Instead of focusing on policy, he says, people called in to complain about his beard.

“Policy is the substance. Politics is all the craziness, the criticism. I’ve learned to grow a thick skin. It hurts sometimes, but I know I’m doing it for the right reason. Sometimes I ask myself, why am I doing this?  Then I go back to my principles, my moral compass. I remind myself that it’s not just about me.”

“There is Something Special About Us”

Reporter Aurora Saldivar, a Thermal resident and College of the Desert student, asks him to share some of his recent victories.

“In the early days, I was visiting the trailer parks, where folks were drinking arsenic and paying a lot of money for it,” he says.

He knew action was necessary. It was easy for those in charge to blame the poor infrastructure on a lack of resources, but he says it was a lack of will that was truly to blame.

“Classism still exists,” Pérez says. “We were able to lower the rates, legislation was passed and signed by the Governor. Now, if there are high levels of arsenic, the owner needs to alert the residents and ensure the cost of water is reasonable.”

Another victory was bringing the California State Assembly Select Committee Status of Boys and Men of Color Hearing to Coachella earlier this summer.

“We put Coachella on the map of the State Legislature. People know where Coachella is, that we have a lot of ganas and a lot of corazón,” he says passionately. “We are known throughout California and the United States, and beyond. There is something about us, something special about us.”

“We Can Do a Lot More”

Reporter Tony Aguilar, a Thermal resident transferring to the University of Redlands, asks Pérez to expand on the future of the sub-standard trailer parks in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

“We can do a lot more,” he says. “I am having a tough time convincing the Governor to release the (Redevelopment Agency) funds. I may have to introduce legislation, but everyone (in the Assembly) gets territorial. Why am I going to vote for this, when I have my own issues in my district?”

According to Pérez, municipalities throughout the state misused their Redevelopment Agencies by funding projects such as golf courses over projects such as affordable housing.

“Because of those abuses,” he says, “Everyone lost – and the most vulnerable are stuck in the middle.”

Switching Easily Back and Forth

A staffer peeks into his office and alerts Pérez that an important call is on hold. He is scheduled to be interviewed live by a Spanish-language Salinas radio station in a few minutes. He takes the call on speaker so the students can listen in.

The disc jockey asks in Spanish what questions the Assemblymember like asked during the interview.

“I can answer whatever question you have,” Pérez answers in Spanish. He turns to the students and says, “After a while, this becomes second nature, a part of the job.”

He switches from Spanish to English and back again as easily as he switches from subject to subject.

Pérez dives into the specifics of the California Agriculture and Service Worker Act he is proposing, which would create a permit program enabling unauthorized workers in the agricultural and service sectors to work legally in California without fear of deportation.

“Without the immigrant, there is no economy in California,” he tells the listeners of the Salinas radio station in Spanish. “Without the immigrant, there is no economy in the United States. This must be recognized.”

“Push the Agenda, Push the Envelope”

“We have to be selfish to a degree, but as you’re successful, your community, your barrio, your society is successful. You are connected to humanity directly and indirectly,” Pérez says to the students as their time together comes to an end.

“Your voice as youth counts. Push the agenda, push the envelope,” he says. “Have high expectations, don’t settle. I’ve never been one to settle.”

The young journalists file out of their Assemblymember’s office, inspired and hopeful that one day in the not-too-distant future, it will be their moment, their time.

Brenda Rincon is the coordinator/editor of Coachella Unincorporated, a youth media project of New America Media. Tony Aguilar, Ivan Delgado, Johnny Flores, and Aurora Saldivar contributed to this story.

With California’s budget crisis, residents are becoming aware of current economic issues the state faces. With higher tuition rates for public universities and spending cuts slashing everything from education to health care programs, just how is our government going to tackle other issues we are currently facing?

Governor Jerry Brown recently announced that mid-year cuts to education will impact school transportation budgets by $1.5 million throughout California.

“In this district, transportation is a must,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). “A lot of these kids would not be able to get to school without transportation, which means there will most likely be a higher drop-out rate.”

Even though final decisions have not been made, the news about cutting money from school transportation has caused concern among parents, students and community members.

“Rumors are flying,” said Steven Young, student transport specialist at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS), who explained that $1.5 million is equivalent to cutting 10 bus drivers. “This is going to affect us big time.”

Inland Congregation United for Change (ICUC) represents local residents who are worried about these looming transportation cuts.

“(The cuts) would leave the youth stranded,” said Allex Luna, a community organizer for ICUC.  “How’s this going to affect them academically?”

Cuts in transportation could lead to a chain reaction, affecting families and students. Without a method of transportation, Luna fears there could be a drastic negative effect on school attendance.

“Every time you’re in that seat, the school gets paid,” said Luna, meaning that a decrease in the attendance of schools could lead to even more cuts in education.

According to Luna, more than three-fourths of the school’s population takes the bus, which shows just how many students would be affected by cuts in transportation.

Some motivated students, such as Yesenia Isidoro, will find any way to complete high school.

“I wouldn’t want to let my parents down,” said Isidoro, a senior at CVHS. “I think I would buy a bike so I could get to school every morning.”

Diana Reza, a sophomore at CVHS described her everyday bus experience. “The bus is already three people per seat. I’m pretty sure all the bus doors would break because everyone just shoves and rushes in to find a good seat.”

The situation could be even worse for students at schools further east. “Transportation is already an issue. I couldn’t imagine how much more affected the students would be if bus routes were completely cut,” said Berenice Venegas, a junior at Desert Mirage High School. “I live in Mecca, it doesn’t have many resources.”

Eastern Coachella Valley communities, such as North Shore and Oasis, do not have sidewalks or street lights, making it difficult and often dangerous for students to making the long walk to and from rural schools.

“It’s important to keep in mind that parents or guardians aren’t always going to have the opportunity to drive students to school every morning, due to their jobs or simply because they don’t own a vehicle,” added Venegas.

“Things are operating as normal, but for now we are just waiting for a decision,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for CVUSD.

“Normal,” to some bus drivers already means carrying double loads and making several trips until all students arrive home.

“Buses have always been packed. In order to have one driver for one bus stop, we would have to hire more drivers, and unfortunately we don’t have that luxury,” said Aguirre.

As administrators await the official decision from the school board, ICUC is beginning to tackle the issue with “one-to-ones.” These are one-on-one meetings between community organizers and individuals for the sake of research.  They are also meeting with groups of parents and teachers to set up public partnerships. Allex Luna, a community organizer with ICUC, said the group hopes to solve this issue before the school year is over. They plan to mobilize the community with press releases, phone calls, and social media.

“Not many people know that there are people trying to make a change,” Luna said. “The (ICUC) leaders represent change.”

“I’ve always contended that students are the reason we have a job, without kids we don’t have that either,” said Aguirre, director of transportation at CVUSD. “In this district, transportation should be a right, not a privilege, because our district is very rural.”

“It is not safe to walk home.”

To join ICUC’s efforts, contact Allex Luna at (760)398-0877 or at [email protected].

(Photo: Rosa Say via flickr)

Some summer school programs for students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District have been terminated due to cuts caused by the loss of funds to public school districts throughout California. CVUSD, like most public school districts, has had to accommodate its budget due to the loss of state and local funding reduced by about $1,900 per student. With the cuts, CVUSD erased summer programs that were once offered to students, such as camp and interest classes. The summer programs that CVUSD schools currently offer concentrate on credit deficit high school students in risk of not graduating. Now, students have less activities to keep them busy during the summer. Other summer programs offered are either limited by students’ interests or have high costs associated with them. This lack of summer programs concerns some Coachella parents and students.

Ricardo Meza, 17, Coachella Valley High School

“Yes, I feel it’s a loss because I want to better my education but I can’t because of recent cuts.”

Lizbeth Meza, 14, Lives in Desert Shores

“I don’t do anything. I just take care of kids and do chores. I forget a lot of stuff during the summer.”

Karen Patlan, 16, Coachella

“Sometimes we go to the park and the gym or we stay at home. I think it would be great for the kids to have something to do during the summer.”

Griselda Duenas, Mecca, Mother

“Now, I have to pay for a babysitter while I can work. You pay for babysitting, food, rent, bills and nothing is left for you but you have to work.”

(Translated from Spanish)

Karina Lopez, 37, Coachella, Mother

“If they go to a program, they have to pay and parents can’t afford it.”

(Translated from Spanish)