Monica Gutierrez, Parent Educator, Family Resource Centers

Monica supports parents through the Parent Education Program, a new service offered through the Family Resource Centers designed to help parents strengthen their relationships with their children.

The program focuses on helping parents understand child development while building skills that support their children’s emotional, social, and physical wellbeing.

Monica provides parents with information, tools, and resources to support them in raising their children. She offers various classes designed for different stages of child development, including Planet Baby, Opening Doors, and Parent and Dad Cafés that focus on the Five Protective Factors.

Learning about parenting helps parents understand how kids grow, their feelings, and how to talk to them effectively. By developing these skills, parents can build a strong and happy bond with their children, creating a loving family environment.

Monica sees every parent’s participation as an opportunity for growth. Parents often discover new tools and helpful resources through the programs, gaining insights that support them in building stronger families.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to see parents use new tools and come back to share how positively their families have changed,” Monica shares. “This transformation brings such joy and fulfillment to my work.”

Janelle Cardoso, Family Strengthening Program Manager, adds, “Monica started out as a volunteer and then got hired as a Parent Educator. She’s very passionate and goes out of her way to make the classes feel cozy and warm. She goes above and beyond to make the ladies enjoy their time.”

Monica’s goal is to help parents understand their children’s needs, manage behaviors in positive ways, and build strong emotional connections, to strengthen families in our community.

Learn more about our services at centeforhumanservices.org/frcs

Karina Rodriguez, Student Assistance Specialist, School Based Services

Karina began her role at CHS in November 2021. As an SAS, she supports students individually and in small groups, providing them with coping skills to address challenges such as anger, bullying, anxiety, grief, or academic problems. These sessions are designed to promote emotional and social learning.

As an SAS, no two days are alike; something that Karina enjoys. Some days involve classroom support and check-ins with students who may be struggling, while other days responds to immediate social-emotional needs, and planning classroom presentations. She also collaborates with teachers and staff to address concerns, provide strategies, and create support plans for students. In addition, she communicates with families to share progress and reinforce strategies that can be practiced at home.

Karina enjoys building meaningful relationships with her students and witnessing their growth.

She shares, “I value the moments when a student begins to feel more confident, opens up about their feelings, or successfully uses a strategy we’ve practiced together. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch students recognize their own progress.”

Karina brings empathy, compassion, and understanding to her school site, where she aims to create a safe space where students feel seen, heard, and supported.

Justine Wood, Youth Services Program Coordinator, says, “Karina Rodriguez has been an all-star employee not only for CHS but also within Riverbank Unified School District. She embodies the leadership framework by being a role model in self-leadership and honoring collective leadership no matter where she is at.”

Learn more about our school-based services at centeforhumanservices.org/youth-services/

Vanessa Lara, Lead Care Coordinator, CalAIM

Vanessa Lara started at CHS in 2023 as a Youth Outreach Specialist at the Youth Navigation Center. She recently transitioned into her current role, as Lead Care Coordinator, in the Cal AIM Enhanced Care Management (ECM) program.

The ECM program helps individuals with complex needs by coordinating all their care in one place. It addresses any health, housing, food, and social service needs a client may have. ECM exists because a lot of individuals don’t just need one service, they need many, all at once; and without coordination; care can become fragmented. ECM steps in to connect the dots, reduce emergencies, and support long-term stability.

As a Lead Care Coordinator, Vanessa ensures clients’ medical, mental health, housing, and social needs are identified, connected, and followed through on, so clients are not navigating services alone. She conducts outreach to identify eligible clients, administers assessments, and creates care plans to help meet clients’ health care goals.

“It’s moments of progress, no matter how small, that keep me motivated. Seeing clients gain confidence, independence, and a sense of hope is the best part of what I do.”

Vanessa loves seeing small wins turn into meaningful change. That can look like a client establishing primary care for the first time in years, or deciding to enter a recovery program. She describes her work as intentional and rewarding, even though it can be challenging at times.

Reflecting on her role, Vanessa says, “Being a part of this program since the beginning has allowed me to see all the hard work behind the scenes come to fruition.” As a founding staff member, she has contributed to developing workflows, policies, and procedures, that helped the program’s launch.

Robertha, ECM Manager, says “The work Vanessa has done to help implement this new program at CHS from the beginning to where it is now is amazing. I couldn’t see anyone else in this start up role.”

The ECM program continues to expand to meet the needs of the community and will soon include more care coordinators to strengthen the work Vanessa leads.

Learn more at yncstanislaus.org

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