KIMA – TV (Yakima, Washington)

April 22, 2008

Migrant Workers' Kids Return to Child Development Center

By Rudabeh Shahbazi

PASCO-- Hundreds of thousands of migrant farm workers are back in Washington for harvest season, and while they're looking after the fields, someone has to look after their children.

It's illegal for them to take their kids to work, so the federal government pays for seasonal day cares and development centers, like the Washington Migrant Counsel in Pasco.

More than 130 kids, mostly from Mexico, are attending the center this season. With both parents working long days in the fields, their kids are doing a different type of work, in these classrooms.

"We get to learn stuff," said Eden, a preschooler, "like how to do plants and all that stuff."

"I think they should take advantage of a place like this, that has a program that's available," said Miguel Reyna, who has two children in the program. "Not only are they going to be taken care of, they're going to be learning at the same time."

The center opened 25 years ago to serve low-income seasonal families. It's typically open from April to October.

The facility has room for 50 more students, and and it will have two new classrooms up and running as soon as next week. The money came from a $5 million federal grant last year.

"We have to make sure none of those children are being taken out to the fields," said Director Esther Serrano.

The children are separated by age group, from infants to pre-schoolers. But this program is more than just a day care. Children are taught skills they will need to be self-sufficient, like how to brush their teeth, share, read and speak some English.

"We are serving a lot more migrant families from the east and California," said Serrano. "They're moving this way, and we don't see many of our old parents returning."

She says only about 20 percent of the families return the following year, and about 75 percent of the kids there are new arrivals every year.