At six years old, Cora has not had an easy life. Many of the things a child takes for granted, like simple board books or some glue and scissors to create a her "masterpiece" have either been luxuries her parents could not afford or something that was not prioritized in the daily struggle to make ends meet. As she gets ready to enter kindergarten, the limited skills of her mother will not be enough to guide this small Spanish-speaking child through a new and unfamiliar world. To begin with, her mother, born in Mexico, speaks no English. Nor does she even read and write in her own native tongue. As Cora approaches the most important day of her life, she is poised like many before her to start the long slide of slipping through the cracks.

Since 1988, Virginia Garcia has helped families like Cora's through a family support program called Padres Con Iniciativa (PCI) that helps the families be the one to provide the crucial support these children need to succeed. Up until now, that program has focused on nurturing a healthy parent-child relationship for children ages 0-4. The Virginia Garcia parenting program is now taking the next step- preparing the parents and child (ages 4-6) as he or she enters school for the first time. Together, these two programs (0-3 and kindergarten readiness), provide crucial family/child support that can make a real difference in a child's life.

PCI is a parenting program providing education, home visits and support groups for parents of children up to six years of age. As a primary prevention program, PCI is aimed at reducing risk factors for child abuse and/or neglect.