Josephine Guerrero Family Resource Center hosts celebration for Milpitas children and families

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                                                                                                                                                 (408) 635-2600, ext. 6031

Yesterday, local leaders joined young children and their families at the Josephine Guerrero Family Resource Center for an open house celebration featuring food trucks, resource tables, Potter the Otter, and free games and activities.

The resource center, which held its ribbon cutting in November 2016, provides free resources for children under age six and their families, including developmental screenings, parent and caregiver workshops, referrals to affordable children’s health insurance programs, and fun and educational family engagement activities. The Family Resource Center is a partnership between the Milpitas Unified School District, the Health Trust, and FIRST 5 Santa Clara County.

“Young children and families are at the heart of the Josephine Guerrero Family Resource Center,” said Jolene Smith, Chief Executive Officer of FIRST 5 Santa Clara County. “FIRST 5 is dedicated to working with local families and the Milpitas Unified School District to strengthen and support the healthy development of our youngest children and support parents and caregivers in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher.”

The resource center was dedicated in memory of Josephine Guerrero (November 18, 1919 - September 8, 2016), who was committed to serving her community and an advocate for families. Guerrero was the first woman to serve on the Milpitas Planning Commission in 1954, and was Woman of the Year for the City of Milpitas. She also served as an assistant postmaster and President of the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce.
“Today, we dedicate the Family Resource Center in memory of a woman who lived her life to support her family and community in times of peace and in times of war,” Milpitas Unified School District Board President Daniel Bobay said. “It is a fitting way to honor this woman who was a diamond with so many facets.”

The center joins a network of Family Resource Centers across the county, the second in Milpitas, as part of FIRST 5’s Family Resource Center Initiative. The initiative uses a place-based approach to increase access to services and provide opportunities for parents to become more engaged in their children’s healthy development, school readiness, and other collaborative efforts to improve their lives and the communities in which they live.

"Partnering with FIRST 5 on the Family Resource Center Initiative allows us to ensure that children ages 0-5 acquire the skills needed to be ready to succeed in kindergarten, from literacy to proper nutrition and physical activity,” said Charles C. Bullock, Ph.D., Interim CEO of The Health Trust. “We believe that these skills also serve as the foundation for living a healthy and fruitful life."

​The Josephine Guerrero Family Resource Center is located on the campus of Randall Elementary School at 1300 Edsel Drive, Portable #1, Milpitas, CA 95035. For more information on hours and regularly scheduled classes, please call (408) 635-2662, extension 1638 or visit www.first5kids.org/frc.