Flexibly Meeting the Dynamic Needs of Our Diverse and Distressed Community

At Bayside Community Center, we take a holistic approach to providing our services and programs to the community. We tend to the critical, immediate needs that require an urgent and dignified response, while simultaneously working to address the underlying root causes of the challenges through our educational and advocacy-based programs.

This pandemic has challenged our diverse communities in new and profound ways. Senior citizens who were coping with the dual challenges of isolation and food insecurity before the pandemic are now threatened by the increased risk of exposure to a deadly virus. Immigrant families who were struggling to academically support their children before local schools closed now face the additional obstacles of distance learning and widening technology gaps. Low-income families who struggled to make ends meet before the economic impact of COVID-19 was fully seen are now in need of support and solutions like never before. In one survey conducted by our staff in May, 89% of program participants experienced a loss of work hours and income.

We understand the immediate need for flexible responses to this still emerging and dynamic crisis. We also believe that deeper, systemic solutions are required to fully address the needs and support the aspirations of our diverse community. Here are three ways we’ve been accomplishing this.

Food Security

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Bayside has distributed over 20,000 lbs. of fresh prodce and 2,140 lbs. of fresh bread to more than 6,600 individuals. In the last two months alone (September and October), we’ve distributed 3,030 lbs. of fresh produce and 660 lbs. of fresh-baked bread to the community. Programs include on-site, walk-up, and drive-through emergency food distributions as well as home deliveries to dozens of Linda Vista seniors.

Additionally, we have developed a number of new partnerships in order to supplement emergency food distributions and deliveries with fresh produce. Associate Director of Communications, Adam Osorio, notes, “We see partnerships with produce farmers as absolutely essential. We’re glad to be able to provide so many shelf-stable emergency food items to our neighbors but the nutritional quality of our various programs is really increased when we can get freshly grown fruits and veggies into the hands of residents as well. Without these important partners we would not be able to address food insecurity and inequities in Linda Vista nearly as well.” For more information contact rose@baysidecc.org.

Avery Cramer, founder of SD Co-Harvest and Bayside partner comments, "Having fresh, local produce distributed alongside shelf stable emergency foods is important for a variety of reasons. Most important is introducing and sustaining nutritional and diverse ingredients so that all members of the community have the opportunity to access high quality produce. We know that in the United States, most food insecure households are not lacking in calories, but in nutritional uptake. This lack of access and division between the food system and public health is leading to disastrous levels of dietary disease and racial/economic inequalities in public health. Co-Harvest's mission to increase access to healthy produce through Bayside's distributions also benefits the environment because offering farm fresh, local produce directly to urban populations drastically cuts out emissions from transportation or storage and increases the ability for the community to build sovereignty and stewardship into the food system."

Academic Support

Since March 2020, Bayside’s after-school literacy support program has moved 100% online and has served 48 students. This school year, new students entered our program reading an average of 2.5 years behind their actual grade level. In order to address this critical need, our team has found new ways to support students and their families including weekly wellness calls, redirecting donations to prioritize the technological needs of our families, and teaching new skills to help families successfully participate in online learning. Regarding these efforts, Academic Club site supervisor, Alexia Mercado says, “We’ve been highly involved in the education of our students since COVID began. We have been supporting our students every way we can to help them adjust to virtual learning. We do a weekly wellness check-in with our families to find out what the needs are and strive to provide every tool, skill, or resource they need. The families have been very grateful for our support during this difficult time.” Rahab Wanjiru, an Academic Club parent, comments, “My student really loves your program, she is upset when she can’t get online for class. Your teachers are like a second set of parents for our kids and we want to make sure that you are well and being taken care of too.”

As a result, after only 9 weeks of student-centered, data-driven instruction English literacy gaps among new students have been reduced by an average 54%! See for yourself how some of our students read on the first day of class compared to several weeks later. For more information contact aosorio@baysidecc.org.

Watch a 2nd grade student read an early Kindergarten level text on September 12 (left video) and a mid-Kindergarten level text on November 6 (right video).

Watch as a 3rd grade student reads the same mid-Kindergarten level of text in the beginning of the school year (left video) and 4 weeks later (right video).

Census 2020

It is estimated that each individual respondent will bring in $1,000-$2,000 per person, per year in government funding for critical needs like hospitals, roadways, and education systems in their communities. That amounts to tens of thousands of dollars generated by a single person filing their Census. Bayside is proud to have been a part of the Count Me 2020 Coalition this year which educated and mobilized our hardest-to-count census tracts. We focused on reaching Vietnamese and Spanish speaking residents, 0-5 and 80+ year old community members, those with no access to internet or working phones, English-language learners, and other hard-to-count populations. In one of Linda Vista’s hardest-to-count census tracts (90.0), we are proud to have played a significant role in the 7.4% increase in self-response rates among residents in 2020 compared to 2010 rates. This increase paralleled numbers throughout Linda Vista and across San Diego.

Regarding the importance of this work, Andrea Ruiz, a Bayside volunteer shares, “Census outreach was crucial this year, as it is every ten years. It is important for our community members to have a well-rounded understanding of what the Census actually is, and why it matters. Once people realize that there is nothing to fear, and that it's actually a quick process, it opens the door for maximum participation. This way, we are accurately represented in Congress and have appropriate federal funding for our most essential community resources." Not even a pandemic could stop us from getting out the count! In addition to being perhaps the most inclusive and representative Census of Linda Vista in our lifetime up until now, we are confident that this work will have positive impacts on our community for many years to come. For more information contact kheinle@baysidecc.org.

We are so proud of our staff, volunteers and community members for rising to meet the many new and, at times, seemingly overwhelming challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to continuing to adjust and adapt to the dynamic and ever-changing needs of our community with short-, medium-, and long-term solutions. 

Bayside's Academic Club Closes Literacy Gaps

Illiteracy remains a barrier to social equity and has been linked with reduced economic opportunities, long-term mental and emotional disorders including low self-esteem, and has even been used to project future growth trajectories of prison populations. Since language skills are typically learned at a young age from parents, unaddressed illiteracy can become intergenerational and contribute to cycles of poverty.

Bayside Community Center has designed and refined a student-centered, data-driven afterschool program to address the impacts of illiteracy and close existing gaps. “We know that not every student learns the same way, faces the same challenges, or even has the same interests,” comments program creator Adam Osorio. “That’s why we say that our program is student-centered because we take all of these factors and more into consideration when we design our instruction.”

Adam Osorio evaluates student progress.

Academic Club instruction does not follow a preset curriculum course, but rather takes a modular approach to teaching and reinforcing specific literacy hard skills. “Data collection is a major part of what we do. It allows us to understand exactly what areas our students need help with and what they’ve already mastered,” comments Nina Aguele, Academic Club Site Supervisor at Kit Carson Elementary. Upon enrollment, every student is evaluated to discover their initial grade level equivalent with regard to reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

On average, new students enter the program 1.35 years behind their current grade level; the equivalent of a 2nd grade student reading at a mid-Kindergarten level. Osorio adds, “This type of scenario is not just about what our students haven’t learned. Often times we see students confronting behaviors they may have developed over the years to cope with not being able to read. We’re helping students and families to address things like trying to blend into the background during group discussions, or asking for help when they need it. We want our students to appreciate that we’re all learning and improving as we go. The data is just one tool to help all of us understand where and how we can improve together.”

Bayside’s Academic Club team designs lessons for individuals, partners, small groups, and large group instruction. When assigning student partners and groups, Academic Club instructors take individual student strengths and needs into consideration. Alexia Mercado, Academic Club Site Supervisor at Linda Vista Elementary notes, “Many of our students are actually really good at some aspect of what we’re doing in class. While some may be shy, we can always count on a few outgoing or engaging students that can draw out some of our quieter students." Osorio adds, “We take note of what our students like about our class or what they’re good at, and then we pair them up to compliment other students who are still learning or developing in that area. This also helps create a really supportive classroom environment where everyone feels comfortable learning new and challenging things.”

Throughout the school year, students are reevaluated similar to their initial assessment. “Testing throughout the year helps our team tailor and fine-tune our teaching to our students. It’s also really encouraging for our students to see the progress they’ve made in concrete terms,” Aguele adds.

On average, first-time students who enroll in Bayside’s Academic Club demonstrate more than one year of literacy progress and actually reduce their incoming literacy gap by 38%.

Similarly, returning students begin the school year only .61 years behind grade level. By the end of the year they, on average, demonstrate more than a year’s worth of growth and have actually reduced their literacy gap by an additional 50%. 11 out of 25 returning Academic Club students have caught up to or surpassed their grade level before leaving the program.

As summer comes to an end, we’re looking forward to helping even more students close literacy gaps in the 2020-2021 academic year. For more information about Bayside Community Center’s Academic Club program please contact Adam Osorio at aosorio@baysidecc.org.

Nina Aguele with 3 of 11 Academic Club students who have eliminated literacy gaps.

Bayside's Academic Club Students Close Literacy Gaps Despite Distance Learning and Other Challenges

In the wake of nationwide first-attempts at K-12 distance learning, much has been written about the difficulties, frustrations, and expectations unmet. For more than three dozen Linda Vista families enrolled in Bayside Community Center’s Academic Club, however, outcomes are overwhelmingly positive despite significant challenges.

Challenges Overcome

In addition to the technical challenges associated with distance learning which included learning new digital platforms, distracting home environments, and poor internet connections, Academic Club students faced other challenges as well.

On average, students first enter Bayside’s Academic Club 2 full years behind their current grade level while returning students typically begin 1 year behind. As academic expectations increase with each grade level if students do not develop a firm base of literacy skills early in their school career literacy gaps widen over time. Long-term results of literacy gaps unaddressed can include absenteeism, higher drop-out rates, less economic mobility, lower wages, and what some author’s have called the ‘school to prison pipeline.’

Additionally, students with English speaking family members typically progress faster and with greater consistency, while those without sufficient English language support often become part of intergenerational cycles of illiteracy.

Nearly every family that participated in Bayside’s Academic Club this year faced one or more socio-economic challenges including but not limited to; food insecurity, housing insecurity, or economic insecurity. These conditions, which often undermine and adversely affect student learning, were significantly exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, 88% of these families reported some form of lost income while 1 in 5 had no working adults and no secure means of providing essentials like food or paying for utilities including internet service. Distance learning was a secondary concern at most.

Progress Made

Despite significant challenges, Academic Club students demonstrated amazing growth overall and 4 students advanced beyond their grade level this year.

New Students displayed consistent improvement in the first 45 days whether they began attending the Academic Club at the beginning of the school year (red line), several weeks after the school year began (green line), or just as Bayside’s program moved entirely online (yellow line).

Students enrolled in the Academic Club from the beginning of the school year (red and blue lines) demonstrated more than a full year of academic progress and closed existing literacy gaps by 6-11% by the end of the school year.

Students who enrolled later in the year were also able to reduce existing literacy gaps after enrolling in Bayside’s program and demonstrated the equivalent of 1.14 years of growth in 29 weeks (green line) and .42 years of growth in only 13 weeks (yellow line).

What Sets Bayside’s Academic Club Apart?

We have long described our program as a student-centered, data-driven afterschool program. Our team regularly evaluates student progress along the lines of phonemic awareness, fluency, broad-scope comprehension, and reading level. Data from individual assessments dictates curriculum content and pace in addition to giving our instructors valuable insight regarding how to leverage student strengths in small group settings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our Academic Club staff assumed an expanded role to address family needs. At least two entire weeks were spent assessing and addressing technological obstacles to distance learning including but not limited to helping families identify affordable internet service providers as well as teaching hard skills to parents and students.

Our instructors were also on the frontline of addressing other family needs during this, especially difficult time through food and commodity distributions, continuing to monitor individual family needs, and identifying community resources to meet the need. Families that observed our team’s dedication to serving the whole family and providing the most supportive environment for student learning were more likely to take additional steps to support their student’s participation in the Academic Club.

For more information about Bayside’s Academic Club, to learn how you can help support this program which is radically changing student trajectories despite serious and systemic obstacles, or for a consultation to improve your students’ academic performance please email program founder Adam Osorio at aosorio@baysidecc.org.

Countering Racial Stereotypes During COVID-19 Pandemic

As racial tensions intensify across the nation, Bayside Community Center is working with Project Butterfly to counter racial stereotypes and distribute face masks to local businesses.

A man helps a shop owner pick up a display stand after a group of teenagers vandalize the store in Chinatown San Francisco. © 2020 CrimesAgainstAsians/Facebook

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the U.S. this March, over 1,700 reports of corona-virus related discrimination have been reported against people of Asian descent according to one California advocacy group.

Nancy Wang Yuen, Ph.D. describes the effects of the pandemic and the racially motivated acts that followed as such: “I feel like I’m dealing with two pandemics: COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism. Like so many of us, I was already dealing with social isolation, economic uncertainty, and a pandemic threat. This left me too depleted to cope with the uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans after the coronavirus disease, COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China.”

The increase in racially motivated acts and attacks led United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to comment that “the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.” The Secretary-General also urged governments to “act now to strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate.”

This month, Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Bayside Community Center, and Project Butterfly have partnered to counter negative and medically unfounded stereotypes throughout Linda Vista. Project Butterfly, founded by 13 year-olds Ruby Gao and Katherine Ge, has coordinated with San Diego Chinese American organizations to raise over $200,000 to purchase face masks and other personal protective equipment for healthcare facilities, seniors, and local businesses.

As business reopened throughout the month, Bayside wanted to be sure that workers and business owners in Linda Vista were protected and not overlooked. “This pandemic is affecting every community a little different and we’re saddened to see the particularly hurtful impact on Asian and Asian-descent communities,” commented Adam Osorio, Associate Director of Communications at Bayside. "Racism, the inequalities it has bred, and the acts of violence that it makes possible are still a large part of American society. That’s not what we want to see especially here in Linda Vista one of San Diego’s most diverse neighborhoods.”

Project Butterfly and Bayside Community Center have already distributed hundreds of masks to Linda Vista businesses throughout along with the message ‘we are in this together, lets leave no room for hate.’ More masks are scheduled to be distributed in the future. Learn how you can support Bayside Community Center here.

Addressing Traffic Dangers in Linda Vista

A recent study by law firm Estey & Bomberger has determined that Linda Vista has one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians in all of San Diego. Read more here.

Pedestrian safety concerns bring a host of other problems, including decreased economic productivity of the immediate area, increased cases of senior isolation, and decreased use of public recreational spaces.

Bayside Community Center is working to increase pedestrian safety in Linda Vista through a number of community improvement projects. Check out the pictures of our latest traffic calming project in front of Linda Vista Elementary STEAM Magnet school.

Bayside Mobilizes Philanthropists in Response to Armed-Robbery

Bayside Community Center reaches out to philanthropists to generate over $200 to replace revenue lost during the recent armed robbery of a Linda Vista-based entrepreneur. (Click here to read about the incident).

On Friday, July 19, owner of Taco Time, Jose Heims, was robbed at gunpoint of about $200. Bayside Community Center Executive Director Dr. Corey Pahanish reached out to Heims to discuss what happened. With the assistance of philanthropists from the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Point Loma enough funds were raised to replace the stolen amount and were given to Heims Tuesday, July 30.

When asked why he reached out Dr. Pahanish states, “this is a perfect example of our mission to empower in motion. We have someone who is suffering the symptoms of living in a distressed community and there’s an opportunity to not only address a wound but to empower them to keep going with a culturally relevant business in a community that knows and loves them.”

When asked about the gift Heims commented, “to me it’s important that we get more lights on our streets, not just for me but for everyone’s safety. I want to talk to the city about getting more lights here and I’m willing to pay for them.”

While we are saddened by the injustice suffered by Heims and other Linda Vista residents, we are encouraged by the resilience, generosity, and commitment of our diverse community to improve the quality of life in Linda Vista.

Tomasa Ruiz, Community Champion

When asked why Bayside Community Center nominated Ms. Ruiz for the Molina Community Health Champions award, Kim Heinle Bayside Community Advocate responded, “A champion is someone who prioritizes the well-being and progress of the community, an advocate above all else.” Ms. Heinle summarizes Bayside’s goal by saying, “we want to empower our diverse community to assume more leadership roles in the neighborhood. We want to help residents move from civic participants to civic leaders.”

From left to right. Tamy Nguyen, Tomasa Ruiz, and Kim Heinle.

For Tomasa though, there’s more to being a community champion. Her experience as an activist and organizer began when close family friends were threatened with the loss of their daughter due to immigration enforcement action on public transportation in the early 2000’s. Tomasa recalls, “My friend asked me to help spread the word and raise money to help release their daughter who had been detained by immigration while riding the trolley. At that time community organizing wasn’t important to me but I wanted to help.” Reflecting on her initial experience Tomasa recalls, “I saw the need but also the power and the benefit of inviting people to support a cause.”

Tomasa and son Daniel at Linda Vista Community Garden hosted at Bayside Community Center.

Later, Ms. Ruiz participated in Bayside Community Center’s Resident Leadership Academy (RLA), a 10 week leadership course designed to help community residents identify the need for and affect positive change in their neighborhood. When asked what drew her to Bayside’s RLA Tomasa shared that is was, “to help her children live a healthier life.” Since graduating from Bayside’s RLA in 2013 Tomasa has participated in and led a variety of important community improvement projects in Linda Vista including; improving lighting in Kelly Street park, installing traffic calming mechanisms around neighborhood schools, facilitating a Women’s Savings group and advocating for new legislation that promotes Urban Agriculture statewide.

Despite her impressive community work family is still Tomasa’s priority. When speaking of her husband, Jose, Tomasa shared, “He has always worked to support us and he knows how happy this work makes me.”  And yet while Jose was initially weary of his wife’s community work he has since come to see the benefits of Tomasa’s work both within the community and within the family. Tomasa remarks, “now even he’s getting involved a bit more.” Most recently, Jose has volunteered his construction experience and knowledge to help oversee Bayside staff in a variety of remodeling projects within the new facility.

Jose volunteering at Bayside Community Center's new facility.

Tomasa and Jose’s youngest son, Daniel, has also been positively impacted by his mother’s example. Tomasa recalls, “Daniel remembers when he was younger and I used to attend the RLA classes at Bayside.” Since that time, Daniel has often been the youngest participant in many civic meetings held in Linda Vista. Currently, he is a participant of Bayside’s Youth RLA and as of May 1 will be one of the youngest RLA graduates in the county.

When asked how her opinion regarding community organizing has changed since her initial experience Tomasa replied, “I know that if we can work together we can make improvements. It’s been many years and I love it!”

Bayside Community Center looks forward to many more years of working with families and community champions like Tomasa Ruiz. We fully agree with and support her commitment to, “learn everyday how to improve and to keep working.”

Tomasa celebrating with family, friends, and Bayside Community Center staff.