By Perli Cunanan, Amy Miller, Rayna Dineen | The Reading Group Victor, a second grade student, could not read at all and felt badly about himself. He had become convinced that he was just stupid. Embarrassed, he didn’t want his classmates to know that he couldn’t read. He was beginning to give up on school. Victor’s teacher realized he needed
By Dana Greenblatt | Out of School Engagement for In Class Success, Santa Fe Community Educators Network As the afternoon sun hangs over late season sunflowers and ripe tomatoes at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, local elementary school students are deeply engaged in harvesting the summer’s abundant crop. Under the guidance of Cooking with Kids! and Santa Fe Botanical Garden
By Catherine Dry | Director, Santa Fe Baby Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation | March 28, 2019 We live in an infant care desert in Santa Fe. As a community, we only have enough high quality, center-based child care for seven percent of the babies born in our city. The Baby Fund, in close collaboration with the Infant Care Workgroup
By Jennifer Duran-Sallee | Director, Early Childhood Center of Excellence, Santa Fe Community College | March 28, 2019 The year’s legislative session was full of promise and excitement thanks to the great surplus of state funding available. One of the most exciting bills for early childhood passed on March 14, when Governor Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 22 (SB22) into law
Sarah R. Cheney | VISTA Lead | March 7, 2019 The week of March 11th – 15th marks the annual celebration of AmeriCorps week – a time to celebrate all things AmeriCorps. Over the last three years, Opportunity Santa Fe has received backbone support from 16 AmeriCorps VISTAs and 21 Summer Associates. Joining in the celebration, a few of our
By Marcos Maez | Santa Fe Community College Director of Recruitment and Dual Credit | February 21, 2019 As Director of Recruitment and Dual Credit, I hear directly from high school students about their perceived barriers of going to college. Sometimes, it is as simple as not having any role models to guide them through the steps. In the fall of
Guest Blog: Jamai Blivin | CEO of Innovate+Educate | February 20, 2019 A recent survey of over 130 Santa Fe employers revealed the strongest need in the workplace is for “soft” skills. Sometimes called “professional skills” or “21st century skills,” soft skills include communication, critical thinking, customer service, adaptability, and leadership—competencies needed in 90 percent of jobs across the globe. Yet
Guest Blog: Todd Lopez | Director, Inspire Santa Fe | January 24, 2019 Most young people have never had a mentor and, as a society, too often we leave the opportunity for mentoring relationships to chance. City of Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber has embarked on a bold goal. Within four years, the City has pledged to provide an adult mentor
by Sarah Raine Cheney | AmeriCorps VISTA, Team Leader | December 13, 2018 We are familiar with the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child.” While it may be cliche, it holds a lot of truth. One of Santa Fe’s strengths as a community is our “village ability”. At Opportunity Santa Fe we see people and organizations coming together
by Dana Greenblatt, AmeriCoprs VISTA | November 11, 2018 What’s more exciting for students than taking a break from the classroom? Getting out of their desks and putting their hands straight into the dirt! This became a reality for students who attend Sweeney Elementary’ s after-school program on a sunny September afternoon. When I arrived at the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens,
