Our newest program, Brighter Beginnings Child’s Play, is a program geared to teen parents and their children.  We offer special parenting groups, combining activities from the Nurturing Parenting Program (www.nurturingparenting.com) with fun movement and play groups.

Brighter Beginnings Early Head Start - Oakland

Parents learn and practice a range of effective parenting techniques while also learning to adapt their parenting style to their child(ren)’s individual temperament.  Brighter Beginnings Early Head Start program serves families with children prenatal to three.  Our focus is on advancing the development, education and health for the children and helping families connect with the resources that meet their basic needs.

Families must be residents of Oakland and have income below federal poverty guidelines. 
Benefits for Parents and Children

Parents will typically experience increased relaxation, self-confidence, and ability to manage stress, anger and other troublesome feelings. Children will experience healthier physical, intellectual, early language, and social-emotional development, and children of teen parents will experience reduced confusion and stress.

Program Staff

Program Manager:  Molly Fivian, M.A.,Early Childhood Education from SFSU, and has been a Director or Consultant to Early and Head Start programs for San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz Counties from many years.

Program Coordinator: Monica Medellin B.A., Sociology & Chicano Studies: responsible for mentoring and training the Parent Child Educators, leading special community events and creating early learning Parent/Child attachment activities. Ms. Medellin has been working with Brighter Beginnings families for many years and brings a wealth and variety of knowledge of Oakland resources and experience to the Brighter Beginnings Early Head Start project.

Drea Riquelme (Program Assistant) M.A. International Service: seven years of international community service, provides supportive insight and systems management, overseeing the enrollment of families for the program and providing associated resources to the team, Ms. Riquelme is bilingual English/Spanish.  

The Parent/Child Educators facilitate playgroups, community events and home visits. Brighter Beginnings has an outstanding team of seven Parent Child Educators, who will be serving 84 pregnant mothers and children aged 0-3 in Fruitvale, San Antonio and East Oakland.

Parent Child Educator Team

Tera Kaye B.A., Psychology: four years of experience highlighted with service and outreach to families having concerns regarding children’s development (special needs), crisis intervention, respite care, child development screening assessments, and LGBTQ topics.   Bilingual: English/American Sign Language.

Carmenita Jiles M.S., Psychology: ten years of experience in Teen Parent programs and child/family services highlighted by her service and research in the field of parent/child attachment, substance abuse, and nutrition.  Recently Ms. Jiles participated in the ‘African-American Families Living with Mental Illness’ summit in Oakland, and has earned numerous publications regarding mental health and substance abuse. Ms. Jiles’ doctoral thesis is on the various ways substance abuse dynamics impact parent-child attachment.

Fram Saeteurn B.A., Psychology: four years of health education, advocacy and services to the East Oakland community, including extensive experience in volunteer work with Children’s Hospital. Ms. Saeteurn was awarded acknowledgement by the Congress of California for her work and advocacy in the East Oakland community. Multilingual English/Mien.

Arlette Hernandez B.A., Child & Youth Development: three years experience working with teen parents and children aged 0-5, as well as great strengths in early childhood education creative activities and curriculum development. Extensive experience with Youth Asset Development within strength-based programs. Bilingual English/Spanish.

Elizabeth Perez B.A., Social Welfare: four years experience mentoring marginalized teens, two years of clinical, case management experience serving young parents and teen mothers. Multilingual English/Spanish/Portuguese.

Angelica Ayala B.A. Sociology & Early Childhood Development:  five years experience working in the field of Early Childhood Education and Youth Development.  She is Teacher qualified and has achieved many accomplishments of service to the community, most notably as the founder and leader of FUTURO (Focused Urban Teens United and Ready for Opportunity), an organization which mentors Latino youth to prepare for college. Bilingual English/Spanish.

Aliza Heslop B.A. Integral Studies: four years experience with non-profit/government organizations providing community based services for youth and children, most notably as a case management volunteer to prisoners in San Quentin Federal Prison, where she counseled inmates prior to release supporting their reuniting with family & educational options.

Program Funding
Brighter Beginnings Early Head Start program is funded through the City of Oakland.

Program Contact Information
For more information, contact Molly Fivian 510-903-7510.  You can also email Molly at mfivian@brighter-beginnings.org

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