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History

 

California’s “children who follow the crops” have for years been the focus of research and study, the reason for numerous conferences and meetings, but the direct concern of few educators and schools.

In late 1966, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, (P.L. 89-101) Title 1, was amended by P.L. 80-750 to provide supplemental assistance to schools impacted with the children of migratory farm workers. In California, the responsibility for the implementation and administration of this program was given to the Bureau of community Services and Migrant Education, Migrant Educational Service.

In many cases, summer schools lacked staff that were cognizant of the migrant students culture and problems they encountered in the school system and with the community. There were plans to in-service staff to be more aware and sensitive to the needs of Migrant Children and their parents were in need of former migrant role models.

Out of a realization that these questions must be answered positively, came the idea for a corps of young people. These young people from a rural migrant back-ground, one or more years at college, would use their talent and dedication to pioneer special classrooms and extra-curricular, migrant camp projects that would make the schools’ education meaningful to migrant children and their families. Living in labor camps or close to the migrant community, they would be the link between the migrant community and the schools. They would be personally acquainted with each child and his family, and share their hopes and frustrations. Most important, they would be role models for the migrant children and, hopefully, raise their aspirations of Migrant Children.

The California Mini-Corps Program was initiated in 1967, patterned after the Peace Corps Program. A corps of college students with a rural migrant background was recruited to work as teacher assistants in migrant impacted summer schools. The Mini-Corps students were role models that hopefully would raise the aspirations of migrant students. A sense of commitment, dedication, responsibility and sensitivity was required of the Mini-Corps participants. The Mini-Corps students would be personally acquainted with their students and make home visitations to the homes of migrant parents. The program was only a summer program until 1974 when the school year programs were initiated slowly throughout the state. The Mini-Corps Program provides services to all the migrant regions in the summer and school year.