Community Coalition Program/Underage Drinking Prevention and Enforcement Program raises awareness and implements strategies to educate and mobilize to change public policy and improve the quality of life.
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Community Coalition Program/Underage Drinking Prevention and Enforcement Program raises awareness and implements strategies to educate and mobilize to change public policy and improve the quality of life.

Debra Baca
Vice-President
Early Childhood Education & Family Development
Has a M.A. in Business Administration and over 30 years of direct services and senior management experience in non-profit organizations. Oversees and administers $16 million annually. She provides leadership and supervision for 350 staff members, whose primary focus is to implement high quality education for young children and self sufficiency for families.
For more Program Information contact:
Awarded to YDI Head Start in September 2010. This award will be used to implement Tools of the Mind Curriculum, hire teacher mentors to implement curriculum, increase the number of Dual language classrooms in the HS program and train parents for job readiness.
YDI Early Head Start provides services for 136 infants and toddlers, and 8 pregnant mothers in center-based and home-based programs. The program serves infants andtoddlers from 6 weeks to 3 years old until they can successfully transition into the Head Start Program.
YDI operates Early Head Start in three New Mexico counties, serving infants/toddlers in a center-based, full day, full year program in Bernalillo County, home-based programs in Rio Arriba County, and both center-based and home-based programs in Taos County. Pregnant moms receive prenatal supportive services in a home based program in Bernalillo County. After the child is born he/she is enrolled in the center-based Early Head Start program.
Awarded to YDI Head Start in September 2010. This award will be used to hire Teacher Mentors to provide one to one coaching to teachers in the classroom in the implementation of the Tools of the Mind curriculum.
The GrandStart program is funded by the Office of Head Start’s Innovation and Improvement Projects initiative. YDI will conduct weekly education classes for grandparents utilizing the “Second Time Around: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” curriculum. This curriculum will cover various topics, such as child development issues, parenting skills, working with schools and the community, managing finances, and legal issues. These are issues that grandparents are most concerned about. Guest speakers from the community, such as financial counselors or legal experts, will also be invited to workshops to provide information to grandparents.
For more information about the program, please call Ernestine Padilla, Education Facilitator, at (505)212-7239.
Now in its sixteenth year of operation, YDI Early/Head Start experienced dramatic growth since it became the interim Head Start grantee in Bernalillo County in 1995, mirroring the growth of the Early/Head Start Program across the country since President Johnson declared “War on Poverty” in 1964. Sargent Shriver was named head of the War on Poverty program and in December 1964 he asked Dr. Robert Cooke, pediatrician at John Hopkins University, to head a steering committee of specialists in all fields to discuss what should be done for young children.
Funded by the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD), YDI offers comprehensive expanded "wrap-around" services for 28 infants and toddlers at the La Mariposa Early Head Start center. The expanded, "wrap-around" Early Head Start classrooms will have expanded hours in the morning and late afternoon. The hours of operation are from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Priority for this service will be given to New Mexico Works/TANF participants. This will allow New Mexico Works/TANF participants to fulfill their work/job training requirements.
YDI works through a holistic strength based approach to provide family solutions. The program provides a continuum of care under the YDI umbrella through comprehensive services for children.
Funded by the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD), YDI offers a high quality preschool program for four-year old children in selected areas of Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, and Taos Counties. Children are served in half day (morning or afternoon) classes. There is no income requirement for this program. Children must be four-years old and be attending kindergarten the following year.
Assists in implementing actions and plans developed by Pajarito Mesa residents that will have a positive impact in the lives of their children.

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