MWEI: A Call to Action
We are developing a closer relationship with the Children's Defense Fund. In our first collaboration we will work with City College and involve students who will either disseminate information about health coverage or enroll families who are eligible for coverage but don't know about the available programs or have not enrolled for other reasons.

Over the past year we have started to build a capacity to conduct mental health research. That effort will continue in the coming year. We will also work with programs within the MWEI to build in evaluation components. That will allow us to provide feedback to program personnel and to assess the effectiveness of these programs.

-Terry Cronan, Director

Outstanding CAD Student
The MWEI's Child and Adolescent Development Program (CAD) is very pleased to name Carmen Aluy Outstanding Student of the Year.  Carmen transferred from City College of San Francisco to SFSU in the fall of 1998, and changed her major from Liberal Studies t CAD. "I wanted to concentrate on the field of children and adolescents," Carmen said. "Children's problems are not just something you can put money into and hope they go away. We must focus on the emotional and psychological needs of children." Carmen has 5 sisters and 2 brothers, and knows well the struggles of today's families. Carmen particularly enjoyed studying cultural differences. "We sometimes believe we know what the child's problem is, but if we cannot communicate clearly we may not be able to help at all," Carmen stressed emphatically. "We need to value and respect all cultural backgrounds to do this successfully." 

Have a Magical Day at Jumpstart's KidsFest!
Friday May 12th, 10:00am - 3:00pm
Main Quad, San Francisco State University

A day for children, parents, students, teachers and faculty. Please join us!

KidsFest, a citywide learning festival for San Francisco's children! This event will draw 500 youth, children and teachers t SFSU. Jumpstart will host 25 learning stations sponsored by IBM, Macy's, the San Francisco Zoo, American Eagle Outfitters, Starbucks, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, and Noah's New York Bagels. Please join us and enjoy Jumpstart's KidsFest. For more info, contact Jessica Taisey at 415-338-3884. 

Jumpstart engages young people in service to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.

During the school year, SFSU students serve as part-time Jumpstart Corps Members and work one-to-one with a young child struggling in preschool. 

www.jstart.org

CAD Bachelor of Arts Program
Did you know that there is more than one way to prepare for the Multiple Subjects Credential? Many students follow the academic path of Liberal Studies, but it is also possible to complete the credential subject matter program concurrently as a major in Child and Adolescent Development. This new teacher preparation option is known as the CAD-School Age concentration and currently serves 21 undergraduate students. It is especially suited to students preparing to teach in kindergarten through fourth grade. For further information contact the CAD office. 

-Rachel Nardo, D.M.A.
Coordinator

Mission Science Workshop
The Mission Science Workshop (MSW), located on the Mission Campus of City College of San Francisco, continues to grow. Dan Sudran, Founder, reports that summer sessions have doubled this year. Six summer sessions are planned, serving 4th through 7th graders. In addition, on Thursday, May 25, Leonard Flynn Elementary will hold a family night at MSW. MSW has submitted two proposals in recent months: A proposal with City College for teacher preparation programs centered at MSW beginning January 2001, and a national dissemination grant with the Smithsonian Institute and the American Institution for the Advancement of Science that will create community science workshops in other cities around the country, modeled after the MSW. Kudos to Dan, Paul Fonteyn and all of the hardworking folks at MSW!

CAD Graduates Applauded
The MWEI's CAD Program is very proud of its inaugural 1999-2000 CAD graduates. We acknowledge their hard work and dedication to children and adolescents, and wish them well in their future careers. The CAD graduates are: Carmen Aluy, Michelle Asis,Kelly Fox, Peggy Hu, Denise Oller, Adam Schlessinger, Jennifer Kikby Tatro, Cheryl Vito.

Gear Up Program
The first year of the Gear Up Program Evaluation is coming to a close. This partnership grant is designed to increase the number of students at low-income middle schools who matriculate in college. The Gear Up program focused this year on 7th graders at James Lick and Luther Burbank Middle Schools. The MWEI is responsible for the evaluation of this federally funded program. Dr. Frieda Lee from Student Services and Dan Sudran from Mission Science Center are also SFSU partners in the program. In addition, 20 SFSU students are tutoring the 7th graders at these two schools. It is hoped that the number of tutors will be increased next year so that this much-needed service can continue. for more information, please contact Maral Cingoz or Amy Skonienczy at 415-405-3564.

A New Program
The Career Opportunities in Research Education and Training (COR) of the National Institute of Mental Health is intended to strengthen research and training experiences for underrepresented junior and senior students who are in scientific disciplines related to mental health. We heard recently that this program was recommended for funding. We expect to implement the COR program this coming fall. We look forward to expanding the MWEI's focus in the field of mental health. sw@sfsu.u