ECS Head Start Grandparents’ Breakfast

Grandparents craft with their grandchildren at the Head Start Grandparents' Breakfast. September 2024.

SAN DIEGO — Summer break has come to an end, but the fun continues with activities like the ECS Head Start Grandparents Breakfast. Held at the new ECS Family Engagement Center (FEC), over 24 families enjoyed breakfast and activities together, creating memories for grandparents and their grandchildren.

ECS was joined by St. Paul’s PACE staff and Christ Church Day School student volunteers to bring the event together. St. Paul’s PACE delivered presentations on “What is PACE?”, educating grandparents on the resources available through the PACE program, and tips on preventing a fall.

ECS Head Start staff smile at a fun-filled event. September 2024.

The Christ Church Day School student volunteers helped serve the breakfast and assisted with clean up. They also facilitated a picture frame making station and led a “make your own” stress ball activity.

The Head Start Grandparents’ Breakfast was a morning of family and community fun. ECS is grateful for the help from community partners like St. Paul’s PACE and the Christ Church Day School in bringing the day together.

For more information about ECS Head Start visit www.ecscalifornia.org/head-start-and-early-head-start.

Students enjoy activities with their family and friends. September 2024.

Families spend quality time together at the Grandparents' Breakfast. September 2024.

Beyond the Darkness of Substance Use Disorder

CERRC helps people facing SUDs to recover and find fullness in their lives without substances. April 2024.

At first glance, Giovanni’s life may have looked like everything anyone could ask for. A long and full relationship with a supportive spouse, a home with four great children, and overall, a beautiful, blended family. However, not everything was picture-perfect. Giovanni’s long-standing substance use disorder (SUD) plagued his life in many ways.

His SUD began when Giovanni was just a teenager, not far from his own kids’ current ages. He was kicked out of his childhood home at 17 years old and continued to use alcohol, cocaine, opioids, and other substances to avoid his problems. Even as he tried to push that obstacle aside over time, it would always return, interfering with his family life. Giovanni would keep up with family responsibilities to the bare minimum, but his craving to use would always pull him away, getting in the way of important tasks and even family outings. “My attitude would throw it off and ruin the day because I'd try to pick a fight so I could go drop them off at the house and do what I want to do,” Giovanni said. He also experienced several incidents of blacking out and being woken up by the police. As these incidents went on, Giovanni began to recognize the toll that his SUD was taking, not just on himself but his loved ones. “I realized it was taking a lot of time from my family and affecting them as well, especially my youngest one. He’d think that my behavior was normal; that that’s how you can act and treat your family. I’m trying to reverse that and change his outlook on how a man should be around his family.”

Giovanni describes his family as everything he’s ever wanted. August 2024.*

His family’s concern grew over time, worried that Giovanni would do something harmful or bring harm to himself. “[My wife] loved me, but she didn’t want to see me stuck in my addiction or behave the way I was behaving, just being so negative and depressed and down because I didn’t have control of myself or my emotions,” Giovanni explained.

The breaking point came when Giovanni blacked out and acted violently toward his family. He has no recollection of the incident himself, which scared him even more, knowing how quickly things could have turned into a complete disaster. “My wife told me that was the last incident she was going to accept,” Giovanni said. “She was scared. My kids were scared. It had been too many years of me using excuses... it was time for me to turn the page and start over and make sure it’s done right.”

Giovanni was incarcerated before moving on to recovery programs. He explained how after being pushed out of his childhood home, he always wanted his own family. But when he finally had those things, his SUD started to push that away, too. “I didn’t appreciate that until I was sitting in a cell by myself thinking about, ‘I have everything I asked for and wanted, and everything I prayed to God for,’ and I was just complaining about all of the responsibilities that I had. I realized I needed to change something.” So, Giovanni set his sights on sobriety.

Giovanni smiles for a photo with his wife and children. August 2024.*

He attended Heartland House, a men’s residential SUD recovery program before being referred to ECS Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC). Giovanni shared that it was initially difficult to commit to CERRC, sitting in class after already graduating from the previous program. However, once he began listening to others’ experiences and sharing his own stories, “it was empowering. It was new and different.” He shared that “I tried [to get sober] before by myself without any help or programs or anything, and I’d go a couple of months, but I didn’t have people explaining to me how to deal with my emotions or my feelings... just hearing those things and people that supported me, sharing their stories with me makes me want to make sure I get it right the first time.”

CERRC offered the support that Giovanni needed. “The staff here — Monic, Reiko, Skylar — they’re supportive, and they’re strong, and they make it easy to relate with them because they also have their history and share their stories with you and explain how they got to this part of their life,” Giovanni said. “It’s inspiring to see people change and be able to help others.” The staff at CERRC also gave Giovanni many coping skills to overcome his SUD and confront his problems head-on instead of turning to substances. “ECS helped me out with how to understand my emotions, how to deal with them, and not to use substances to try to drown and escape those feelings,” he said.

Giovanni graduated from CERRC after about four months in the program. Since then, his relationship with his family and his own career goals have taken a turn for the better. Giovanni passed a drug test for the first time since he was 14 years old. He got a security job, joined an online fitness group that offers support from members across the globe and obtained his Class A driver’s license, a longtime goal of his. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I was under the influence. I always talked about doing it, wanting to do it, but I never took the initiative or the step forward to try to do it,” Giovanni said.

Giovanni speaks of his wife as his greatest supporter and teammate. August 2024.*

With the help of CERRC, Giovanni has his family back, too. While talking about his wife, Giovanni described how impactful her support has been to him, as well. “Having her around strengthens me and shows me that people do believe in me, even if they see the flaws,” he said. “She’s a big help, she’s a great woman.” He described their marriage as a team that built a blended family. “I try to be the best role model for my kids and best partner for my wife as I can be,” Giovanni said.

While at CERRC, Giovanni learned the value of patience in his sobriety journey, moving one step at a time to go forward, even when it gets hard. “It’s not worth reverting back, pressing rewind, and losing all that progress that we gained and everything that we learned just for a high or to escape that moment,” he said. “The high is just temporary, but your life is more important than just the high.” Giovanni shared that although it can be daunting to take that step, “it’s not a bad thing to grow and change your lifestyle and express yourself. ECS teaches you how to do that. They’re a big support, and sometimes you need support whether you think you do or not. It’s good to have somebody to talk to and show you a different way, a new way.”

Thanks to CERRC, Giovanni can step up as the husband and father he knows he can be and strive to accomplish his goals. “Thank you to ECS, the program, and everybody in here... they really truly helped.”

To learn more about CERRC, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/central-east-regional-recovery-center.

*Caption dates may not be exact.

Family Engagement Center Grand Opening

SAN DIEGO — The ECS Family Engagement Center (FEC) officially opened its doors to the public on Aug. 27 with a Grand Opening event. Public officials, community partners, ECS clients, board members, and staff, and community members alike gathered at the new FEC — located in Chula Vista — to explore the many resources FEC has to offer.

Community partners share their variety of resources the Grand Opening. August 2024.

The Family Engagement Center is a resource hub open to the public. From educational support for the whole family to workshops and seminars to emergency clothing and food, FEC works to ensure all families have the support they need.

Head Start staff poured in hard work to prepare FEC for its opening. August 2024. 

The event kicked off with speeches from ECS CEO Elizabeth Fitzsimons, ECS Director of Early Education & Family Services Rosa Cabrera Jaime, Policy Advisor for the Office of Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, and Head Start alumna Amanda Angulo and Field Representative for the Office of Congressman Juan Vargas Louis Ward. Afterward, a ribbon cutting signified the official opening of the FEC.

FEC offers a variety of resources to families in the San Diego community. August 2024.

Head Start staff led visitors on tours of the facility. They showed off spaces like the childcare room, the wellness space, the computer lab, and Sharia’s Closet. Community partnerships like Sharia’s Closet — an emergency clothing resource — create a “one-stop-shop” for any resource a family may need.

ECS is grateful for all who showed up to the FEC Grand Opening and excited to watch the center help uplift families in our community.

For more information about FEC, visit www.ecscalifornia.org/fec.

Blossoming in Partnership

Students from The Bishop’s School and St. John’s Head Start show off their harvest. August 2024.

ECS Head Start and The Bishop’s School continue to foster their relationship, especially through gardening. Tuesday morning, five students from The Bishop’s School joined The Rev. Roger Haenke from St. John's Episcopal Church in a few activities with St. John’s Head Start students.

The students bonded as they planted new vegetables and herbs and collected ripe veggies such as squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes, which they planted together in April.

Afterward, The Bishop's School students helped move backpacks stuffed with donated school supplies from the parish to the Head Start offices. These donations ensure that students have the supplies they need to have the best school year possible.

We appreciate The Bishop’s School students for their generosity and friendship toward ECS Head Start students.

Visit the Head Start page to learn about the program and how ECS works to inspire children to blossom.

A Head Start student holding a squash the students planted together in the spring. August 2024.

Head Start students learn about gardening and bond with older students from The Bishop’s School. August 2024.