We’re honored to announce that SBCS has been awarded $146,000 in grant funding from Blue Shield of California Foundation in support of our Mi Escuelita Therapeutic Preschool program.

The grant announcement comes as part of slate of grant renewals from Blue Shield of California, totaling nearly 7.7 million dollars to organizations throughout California working to address health equity and ending domestic violence.

“We are excited to support SBCS whose solutions we believe can be spread and scaled to more communities of color with low incomes,” said Debbie I. Chang, MPH, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation.

The latest grant funding will support Mi Escuelita, SBCS’s therapeutic preschool serving children and families affected by domestic violence. The only one of its kind in San Diego County, Mi Escuelita provides specialized services and quality early education for children ages three to five years old. The preschool is free, full-day and bilingual with a student ration of 1 to 9 and three full-time therapists on staff.

Specifically, these funds will be used to continue evaluation of the program’s outcomes. We’ll expand qualitative data collection through interviews and photovoice in order to capture parent and child perspectives, and to assess two-generation domestic violence prevention outcomes for Latino children and parents that have been exposed to domestic violence in San Diego County.

“SBCS is grateful for Blue Shield of California Foundation’s continued support of our work strengthening children and families affected by domestic violence in San Diego County,” said SBCS President and CEO Kathie Lembo.