News News

ChildSpree clothes kids for school

Webteam — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:35:08 GMT

Quite a scene seeing 248 Kern County children shopping on July 19 during the Back to School Mervyns' ChildSpree at the California and East Hills Mall Mervyn's stores in Bakersfield. Every year for 16 years Mervyn's has given children who might not otherwise be able to shop for new school clothes an opportunity to do so. Major financial sponsors who contributed matching funds with Mervyn’s were Community Connection for Child Care Foundation, Bakersfield Active 20/30 club, West Bakersfield Rotary Club, Tejon Ranch, CASA and Youth Connections. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Community Connection for Child Care (CCCC) was one of the contributing volunteer agencies, as it has been for many years. Volunteers helped children pick age appropriate clothes during the shopping spree that matched the funds available for spending. Joining with CCCC were Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Youth Connections, HEARTS Connection, Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL), Sheriff's Activities League (SAL) and the Boys and Girls Club. Each child received breakfast provided by McDonald's and a backpack filled with school supplies from Mervyn's and the 20/30 Club. The Bakersfield Fire Department talked with children at the California Avenue store about fire safety and gave them a chance to see fire trucks up close. Something new this year was the First 5 Kern, First 5 California, Kern County Public Health Department and Bakersfield Police Department health fair which included immunizations and dental screenings, car seat safety, growth charts for children and information about the Public Health Departments "fight the bite" campaign which aims to prevent West Nile virus.

MOVE trains trainers

Webteam — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:37:08 GMT

Some would view a young, severely handicapped child rising out of a wheelchair to walk as a miracle. Not those who know about MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) International. As its name applies, MOVE’s stock in trade, since the 1980s, has been enabling children, and now adults, with severe disabilities to sit, stand and walk independently. It is a curriculum started in Bakersfield by former special education teacher Linda Bidabe that is now in use in schools and physical rehabilitation centers around the world. Once a year, MOVE welcomes dozens of special education teachers, physical therapists and other caregivers for several days of training to its headquarters at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) Office in Bakersfield. Some come to learn basic provider skills and techniques so they can implement MOVE’s educational framework in the schools or rehabilitation centers where they work in their home cities. Others take training that will enable them to train others to become basic providers. One seeking to advance the training of trainers was Conchita Garcia, who is with MOVE Europe and came all the way from London, England. “We have our first major regional agreement with Derbyshire County in the United Kingdom (UK) which has agreed to pay for anyone who can benefit from the MOVE program, and that even includes the cost of the equipment,” Garcia said. “Currently, we have about 2,500 using MOVE in the UK, but there are 110,000 eligible for it. Our main problem is people don’t know about us. We are creating awareness through training more trainers.” Memorable moments occurred during the MOVE training from June 25-28. During the first day, it was announced that the Bakersfield Adult Retarded Citizens (BARC) was becoming a MOVE model site on June 30.

Seven New CNG Buses for KCSOS

Webteam — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:50:57 GMT

Seven clean fuel burning school buses were rolled out by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office on June 16th to replace higher polluting diesel buses in its fleet. The buses were placed into service immediately following the rollout at the superintendent’s Transportation Services Center located at 705 S. Union Ave. in Bakersfield. These new compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses were put on display for the first time as the buses they replaced were taken out of service, to be crushed and recycled with the metal being used to make other products. “Our commitment is to replace at least seven buses each year until our student transportation fleet is powered entirely by CNG buses,” said Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry E. Reider. “Our poor air quality makes far too many children susceptible to asthma and other health issues. This causes many to miss school. And that means they miss out on valuable learning.” Reider expressed appreciation to the Rose Foundation and the local chapter of the Sierra Club whose $340,000 grant paid a significant part of the $1.1 million cost to buy the new buses. He noted school buses always are a significant purchase for any school agency. But CNG buses are more economical to operate than diesel powered. Oil need not be changed as frequently, and CNG is cheaper than diesel fuel. Seated comfortably behind the wheels of two new CNG buses were KCSOS drivers Cynthia Brewster and Veronica McEvoy. Each has been with the office for about two years and has experienced what it is like driving the old diesels versus the new CNGs.

Capt. Carl opens the ocean

Webteam — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:21:01 GMT

He may not be as well known as SpongeBob SquarePants, and he certainly does not live in pineapple under the sea. Yet, Captain Carl Abajian of Seal Beach took children at the Claude W. Richardson Child Development Center on an underwater adventure of discovery they never would have experienced watching the popular cartoon show. Capt. Carl and his traveling collection of live southern California seawater invertebrates came to the Richardson Center on June 18 to educate and entertain students in the Infant Development Program. While not a cartoon character, Capt. Carl was entertainingly quirky for the young ones, explaining how he dove deep to the ocean floor to retrieve each of his live display animals. Donning scuba equipment and breathing through a ventilator, he demonstrated how it was done with his arms simulating the breast stroke. Then, with scuba gear off, Capt. Carl reached into one of several picnic chests and pulled out a gelatinous, moving blob known as a sea slug. “See how smooth and soft he is — it is because he eats nothing but seaweed,” the underwater educator explained to the children. Then, he put the slug beneath his nostrils and took a big whiff. “Another thing about sea slugs,” Captain Carl said. “They smell great.” Soon after, the Seal Beach seawater scholar placed several sea slugs in Tupperware containers filled with ocean water and invited the children to touch, feel and even gently hold one in their hands. Richardson aide Karla Escamilla scooped one out of a container so that a curious infant, Devin Lowe, could get a better look. Escamilla scrunched up her nose and mouth at first, unused to the slimy feel of the sea creature. But soon she was laughing at the curious reaction on Lowe’s face.

Super heroes at day camp

Webteam — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:33:53 GMT

What is it that allows super heroes to leap from tall buildings without breaking a nail, stop steaming locomotives with bare hands and hold back avalanches with only their breath? Children, attending the Kern County Museum’s Superhero Science Day Camp from June 9-13, discovered physics, genetics, anatomy and chemistry play roles in the makeup of superhuman crusaders. Given a choice, many of these same children would be environmental superheroes, if they could. Approximately 40 children, ages 5-12, learned there was a bit of science behind all the amazing deeds of their favorite superheroes. Monday, Spiderman was highlighted with the classes actually taught a little bit more about spiders than the man. Before the day was out, they had learned that a spider’s web is known to be a polymer that has enormous energy absorption and strength-bearing properties. No wonder Spidey could tie up the bad guys and swing from building to building. Education Manager Jackie Brouillette even put a small, toy spider made from polymers into a bowl of water, and the stunned campers watched as each day it grew to about five times its normal size. “I think children learn best when they are having fun and don’t realize they are learning,” Brouillette said. She has been coming up with new fun ideas and themes for the museum summer camps for six years now. To prepare for this one, Brouillette said she “watched a lot of the Science Channel and got the idea for the superhero tie-in from that.” She is constantly looking for ideas on Web sites and in books, plus the group of summer camp counselors who help teach many of the classes bring in ideas of their own. The newly finished kitchen in the Lori Brock Children’s Discovery Center is also a source of scientific experiments that often have a tasty outcome for the campers.