The first Community Collaborative project in Santa Barbara County is housed in the City of Carpinteria and is overseen by the Carpinteria Unified School District. THRIVE Carpinteria serves the city of Carpinteria, a small community with 4,989 households, 33% of which have children under the age of 18. About 43% of the population is Latino, 38% of the population speaks a language other than English, and 10% of the population lives below the poverty line. Between 165 and 195 children are born each year and there are around 965 children between the ages of 0-5 living in the community at any given time. Approximately 51% of the children attending elementary school qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Over the last three years comprehensive strategic, and implementation planning has taken place providing a baseline of data and goals that will be able to document key outcomes at grade three and beyond.

THRIVE Carpinteria is using a holistic approach to service delivery focusing on prevention and intervention strategies to produce positive changes in children and families for school readiness. The Project model is based on successful efforts such as the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York. The Project provides comprehensive, integrated, case-managed services at the earliest possible time in a child’s critical years of development, through third grade. Services address needs in health and wellness, pro-social behaviors, and pre-literacy language development. These comprehensive services and research-based programs are provided through partnerships with local and in-house service agencies. Some of the Signature Programs being implemented at Main include a Parenting University, including the highly recognized AVANCE Program, Prenatal Centering Programs, the Children’s Health and Wellness Center, Early Learning Labs, engagement of all local Early Care and Education providers, and K-3 Intervention Support, to name a few. All of these services are linked together through close coordination and longitudinal evaluation. THRIVE Carpinteria is currently funded by a collaborative of funders investing in early childhood education and comprehensive services directed toward maximizing school readiness success.

THRIVE Carpinteria aspires to close the readiness gap by ensuring all children in Carpinteria Unified School District are “school-ready”, and successful at third grade and beyond.

To learn more about how the THRIVE Carpinteria is “unlocking the potential of all of Carpinteria’s children”, contact Michelle Robertson, Executive Director at (805) 566-1600.