ODELL — Hood River County School District’s migrant education program has planned a special Halloween Fest aimed for children 0-5 — though all families are encouraged to attend.
Halloween Fest will be the first event the migrant program has hosted, said District Migrant Education Recruiter Alejandra Olivo. From 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, children and their families will find resource and information booths — and get help applying for migrant services if they qualify — as well as pumpkin crafts, food booths, facepainting and more at Mid Valley Elementary. The event is free to attend and while geared towards pre-K (those 0-5 years), all families are welcome. Costumes are encouraged.
Pre-K children and their families can be harder to reach than those who are already in school, Olivo said. The Halloween Fest will provide a chance to have fun and sign up for services, should they qualify.
“[Migrant families are] families who have to move due to work necessities,” Olivo said. “… It could be families who just got here from different countries. Sometimes it’s families who have to move to different states because their parents work in agriculture or forestry or fisheries … They have to be constantly moving [for work].”
The emphasis for pre-K children is on social and emotional awareness; for those in school, the ultimate goal is graduation. The district’s migrant education program helps students receive supplemental services such as math tutoring or English language development during the school year. In the summer, students can participate in summer school activities that include enrichment and learning opportunities.
“We try to make sure they have fun and adjust to being in the school district, and making sure they’re understanding the language fluently, and making sure they are doing the math,” she said. The state has a database that tracks these services and ensures their continuation, should the student move again.
For families, the program can help find housing, food resources and bus passes.
“Our families experience a lot of hardship, so we have funds to help them — but they have to be part of the program,” Olivo said. “For our parents, we have different workshops like … dealing with trauma and adjusting to being in a new country. And another workshop we’ve had is learning how to manage your finances and how to have a good credit score for them to be able to establish a life.”
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