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Grant-Funded Programs Provides Summer Support for Agricultural Migrant Students

Grant-Funded Programs Provides Summer Support for Agricultural Migrant Students

Students ages 2-21 receive lessons focused on wellness

Throughout the summer, ESBOCES Family Education Outreach Program (FEOP) continues to serve the children who are enrolled in their program during the school year. FEOP is grant funded and reaches eligible agricultural migrant families from the East End of Long Island to New York City, offering a variety of educational support services and programs free of charge. During the summer programs, students from the ages of 2 to 21 enjoyed lessons surrounding the theme of wellness.

Preschool through eighth grade students participated in two-day, two-hour lessons on wellness at the program’s Roanoke House location. The first day included an overview on feelings and thoughts we experience using books, videos, and worksheets. Students participated in a kindness craft and played outside, where taking turns and playing appropriately with like-aged peers was promoted. The second day focused on physical and nutritional health, with a review of the five food groups and students using a “Choose My Plate” activity and reviewing healthy food options. Students were shown physical movements they can practice at home or at their desk in school. During both days, healthy choices for snacks and lunch, such as carrots, grapes, tangerines, raisins, yogurts, sandwiches, and water, were provided.

Older agricultural migrant students ages 15 to 21 gathered from various locations across Long Island to participate in a two-day series of Wellness Workshops in July. Students enjoyed a heathy cooking class led by Culinary Arts Instructor Eric Rickmers at Ward Tech in Riverhead, and a Mental Health Awareness Workshop presented by the Mental Health Association. These workshops were an opportunity for students to learn healthier habits they can incorporate into their lives while attending high school, or in the workforce. 

ESBOCES Family Education Outreach Program serves at-risk children from ages 2 to 22, including the children of migratory agricultural workers, homeless children, unaccompanied youth, and other children who live below the poverty line. The program provides supplementary educational and advocacy services in order to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to be successful in school.