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Identification and Recruitment Region 23

Who are Migrant Workers?

Migrant workers seek temporary or seasonal work in agricultural, fishing, or related industries, including food processing. They follow the growing seasons across the country and are largely responsible for the cultivation and harvesting of fruits, vegetables, and many other food products. Many migrant workers have an average income below the national poverty line. While many migrant families consider California to be their home base, others come from different states and countries.

Migrant children may come from large families with inadequate living space and low incomes and are susceptible to poor nutrition, housing, and sanitary conditions. They may have limited English skills and may experience limited success in school. These problems, combined with irregular school attendance, often lead to low academic performance, including accumulating sufficient units for graduation, which leads to causing many migrant students to drop out of school in their teens.

Through the Migrant Education Program, these children are provided with supplemental educational and support services to help overcome their difficulties. Migrant children can close the achievement gap in education and develop skills and options for a successful future. In addition, the program provides opportunities for them to develop self-confidence and build self-esteem.

Identification and Recruitment

Migrant Education Region 23 has twelve (12) recruiters and three (3) data technicians assigned to assist in identification and recruitment. The district and regional recruiters are in constant communication with work sites and are in the community identifying, recruiting, and referring Migrant families to the appropriate schools, programs, and resources. The Identification and Recruitment staff is indispensible to the successful recruitment of migrant families for districts.

What is Identification and Recruitment (I&R)?

Regional and district staff identify children within San Joaquin and Contra Costa Counties that may qualify for participation in Migrant Education. Once these children are identified, a recruiter arranges a visit at the child’s home to determine eligibility for the program.

Why is Identification and Recruitment so important?

Identification and Recruitment (I & R) is the backbone of the Migrant Education program. All children receiving services must be identified and recruited. Regional, state, and national forums are often held to discuss more effective methods of identifying and recruiting the population being served.

How does Identification and Recruitment work?

Recruiters develop a network of people, businesses and institutions that help in finding and referring potentially eligible children and young adults. The recruiter visits the parent or guardian to determine eligibility by asking questions that fall under the State and Federal guide lines. If the requirements are met, a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is filled out and signed by the parent/guardian.

The information gathered is then sent to the regional office where an Identification and Recruitment program manager reviews each County Office of Education, checking for mistakes and confirming that the child meets the criteria for inclusion in the program. The information is then entered by trained data technicians into the Migrant Education information system, which is maintained state-wide by WestEd. This allows for the capability to prioritize services, follow up for re-authorization, and report services provided.

The Regional Recruiter

The Migrant staff faces the constant challenge of identifying children who live in mobile homes and rural and remote areas. It is a difficult task to find migrant families because of their diverse working hours, unmarked homes, and changing work locations. In order to assist districts in their efforts to extend their services to as many children as possible, the regional office has four regional recruiters. The regional recruiter travels to various work sites to seek out and enroll new migrant family members and share with them information regarding the various migrant services and programs.

What makes a child eligible?

To qualify for the Migrant Education Program, a migrant child must have moved within the past three years across state(s) or school district boundaries with a migrant parent, guardian, or self. To qualify the child, the child's guardian, or a member of the child's immediate family must obtain temporary or seasonal employment in an agricultural, fishing, or food processing activity. The child may be in any grade between preschool and 12th and must not be older than 22 and not a high school graduate.

If you would like additional information regarding the regional recruiter please contact Identification and Recruitment Regional Program Manager Joaquin C. Raya at jraya@sjcoe.net or 468-9219.