Trauancy Prevention & C.A.R.E Programs

The Truancy Prevention and Community Assistance for Refugee (Parenting) Enrichment (CARE) Program serves Hispanic/Latino and Refugee/Immigrant children and their families.  In the past 9 years the participants enrolled in the program were from the following countries of origin: Nepal, Bhutan, Iraq, Syria, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Burundi, Sudan, Somalia, Cuba, Bosnia, Liberia, Ukraine, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Uzbekistan and (most recently) Afghanistan. There have also been participants from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the program.  

Male and female students in the Truancy Prevention Program must be school aged children, 16 years of age or younger at the point of entering the program.  This age limit is due to the age limit of Pennsylvania State Truancy Law.  Elementary school aged students will be referred to the CARE program. Male and female children in the CARE program must be 21 years of age or younger and enrolled in a school.  

The needs of the population served by the program are primarily centered on issues that interfere with their optimal functioning and wellbeing – specifically the contributing factors to school truancy and parenting difficulties.  Examples include:  

  • language barriers 
  • lack of knowledge of school attendance laws 
  • social alienation and difficulty with acculturation 
  • bullying 
  • safety 
  • mental, physical and emotional health issues 
  • substance abuse 
  • domestic violence 
  • academic difficulties 
  • parenting issues 
  • lack of transportation 
  • poverty  
  • unemployment. 

 

Even though there is wide variation of clients, the majority of the population served has multiple strengths such as: 

  • strong desire to adapt to their new homeland 
  • strong desire to become productive members of their new society 
  • strong work ethic 
  • resilience in the face of severe past traumas and repeated barriers that interfere with their integration into the mainstream 
  • high value placed on education and professional success 
  • willingness to learn new methods of coping 
  • high value placed on family cohesion and support 
  • supportive involvement of extended family members 
  • high value placed on community wellbeing.  

 

After school tutoring is also provided to clients within this program. Help from bilingual tutors with fluency in: Nepali, Spanish, Arabic, Somali, German and Swahili – with individual instruction in: Writing, Science, Reading, Math, and Social Studies. 

 

 

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm 

Program Contact:  

Yuri Becerra

ybecerra@mcrcerie.org 

QUESTION

554 East 10th Street Erie, PA 16503

814-455-0212

mcrc@mcrcerie.org

554 East 10th Street Erie, PA 16503 | Phone: 814.455.0212 | Email:  mcrc@mcrcerie.org

© 2022 Multicultural Community Resource Center, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Site created by the students at Penn State Behrend in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business through Partnership Erie.