HONEYVILLE -- In a few weeks, a group of 25 children from migrant families will start kindergarten. Thanks to a Head Start program, the children will have the necessary tools to help them get a firm foothold in their education.
Since April, the children from Box Elder, Weber and Davis counties have attended a Montessori education program at Centro de la Familia, 6980 N. 2550 West, in Honeyville.
To recognize the efforts of the youngsters, who range in age from 3 to 5, the school will have a family dinner followed by a graduation ceremony today.
The children come from migrant families and most of their parents move about the country following agricultural work.
"This program was started to keep the children safe," Centro de La Familia Family Services Specialist Rey Herrera said.
The program, established in 1975, gives the children a place to be while their parents earn a living. In the past, Herrera said, children would be left home alone or would wait for hours in a car while their parents picked cherries or cleaned onions. The program got the children out of the fields, thus avoiding dehydration, sunburn and neglect.
Over the years, caring for the children evolved from a simple day care to a pre- kindergarten program.
Five years ago, Centro de La Familia adopted a Montessori education program to help prepare the kids for school, Herrera said. The center also ensures that the children have all their medical records and immunizations up to date.
Centro de La Familia offers the Montessori program in Genaloa and Providence in addition to Box Elder County. Herrera said the program in Box Elder, with six classrooms, is the largest. Genaloa and Providence each have only two classrooms.
The program is actually nine months long and runs through Dec. 23. Tonight's graduation is for the children entering kindergarten in the fall.
Through the classes, the children, many of whom come from Spanish-speaking families and live below the poverty line, are trained to become enthusiastic learners. Many enter school knowing their name and where they live, along with basic reading and math skills, Herrera said.
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