New Family Resource and Wellness Center! Several years ago, John Sugiyama, interim superintendent of Emery Unified School District, put together a small working group to look at services in Emeryville for children birth to 5 and their families. There were many gaps in services and families looked to Berkeley and Oakland for support. Using information prepared by the working group, Superintendent Sugiyama wrote a federal grant to bring resources to these families and fill the service gaps. Emeryville USD received a federal grant of $250,000 to open a Family Resource Center and alleviate some of the difficulties families faced. The grant’s main purpose is to provide a “rainbow of services” targeted at children and families of all ages. This grant provides funding to set up the Family Resource Center and implement a unique city-wide, birth to 5 project—”The 5 Bold Initiatives”—that encompasses (1) search and serve, (2) promoting school readiness, (3) building community capacity to access services, (4) a coordinated network of service providers, and (5) early screening, identification and referral. The Family Resource and Wellness Center opened on March 26th at the city’s recreational building, 4300 San Pablo Ave. The 5 Bold Initiatives Project has been incorporated into EUSD’s
