Where are the parents?
It was almost two years ago that we covered the dedication of a new information and resource center geared for the area’s low-income families. The Walla Walla Parent Information and Resource Center — PIRC for short — was one of five that opened in the state in the fall of 2007. Funded with nearly $4 million from the U.S. Department of Education, the centers were to be destination sites for all area families to get answers to raising children, sign up for useful classes, get a chance to use a computer, and get other assistance.
Walla Walla’s center opened in a basement room at Blue Ridge Elementary. But in its short time, the center may be looking for a new home.
Attendees of the Latino-American Forum monthly meeting last week heard from Erika Alvarez, one of the site coordinators for the state’s PIRC’s. She talked about the city’s center seeking to restart its program offerings by looking for a new site.
PIRC director Steve Witeck, who has been with the agency about a year, told me there is a meeting planned in Walla Walla in the next couple of weeks to talk with Walla Walla school leaders to help figure out the future of the PIRC site. Witeck said the meeting should help determine if Walla Walla’s PIRC will stay at Blue Ridge or seek a new home next fall.
I stopped by the PIRC Monday morning and found the site totally vacant, except for a Blue Ridge employee who uses one of the computers in the room. In it’s first year, the PIRC did host a variety of classes for area families, including how to use a computer, learning about area gangs and what to look for, and how to address family matters.
Witeck pointed out that summer sessions were not likely, and the PIRC may see more activity as school restarts.
What I’ve been hearing from some sources is that our local PIRC never drew as many families as was intended. Part of the problem may have been the location at Blue Ridge, although the site was chosen with the assumption that many of the families that would benefit for the center had children attending the school.
I’m hoping to put together a news story on this topic, but would love to hear from parents or others who have any information on the center. Did you use it yourself, or attend one of the classes? Or know someone who did?
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Maria: Is there a PIRC in Pasco? Do parents use it? Look forward to your story. Last month I was in a Prescott first grade and the teachers said she had the best parents. 100% attendence at teacher conferences. She credit the employers-Broetjs and another corporation.
I wonder if a mobile van moving to different sites in town would work.
Bob C