Migrant Education Even Start (MEES)
MEES is a family literacy and parenting program for parents and their preschool children, birth to seven years of age. Families with children from ages three to five are given priority for services. Project activity support the children's early childhood development and help parents improve their English abilities and native language literacy and knowledge of parenting strategies.
The California Department of Education operates a statewide office to support the operation of the MEES program. Adrianna Simmons is the Director of the MEES program. Adrianna’s office is located in Sacramento:
530 Bercut Drive Suite J
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 443-9225
The statewide office provides funding to each of the regional offices in California. The total of the regional allocations for 2005-2006 is $5,253,847. There is an additional First Five allocation of $1,687,034. The statewide office sponsors an annual MEES conference in the fall of each year. In addition, regular meetings are held for MEES Coordinators in the various regions. The MEES office manages the collection of student data from the regional programs, reflecting the enrollment levels of students and families in each region, as well as services provided. Finally, the MEES office guides the evaluation of the program. The Brigance preschool assessment has been utilized for the past two years to gather pre- and post-test data on participating students.
Region 1 receives an allocation of $259,722 to provide MEES services to migrant preschool students and their families within the region. That amount is augmented by $90,426 Regional Fist Five allocations. Region 1 contributes $75,000 in direct district MEEES support and an additional $37,585 in support services. Districts with significant preschool populations are encouraged to write competitive grants for MEES funding, which allows them to build capacity for providing direct services to migrant preschool students and their families.
