PLF Back-to-School Resource Fair

Children enjoy a beautiful day the resource fair. June 2025.

Thank you to everyone who joined us recently at Montgomery-Waller Park for the first ECS Para Las Familias Back-to-School Resource Fair.

Families enjoyed a day of connection, support, and fun while gearing up for a strong start to the school year.

Children receive supportive resources like Comfort Cubs at the event. June 2025.

Thank you to our vendors, partners, and especially The Comfort Cub for sharing valuable resources including therapeutic bears which offered comfort, healing, and care to families in need.

And a special thank you as well to Councilmember Vivian Moreno for her community engagement and continued support.

Councilmember Moreno delivers a speech to the resource fair crowd. June 2025.

PLF staff enjoy the fair and offer information to families. June 2025.

Vivian Moreno Tours PLF Facility

Last week, CEO Elizabeth Fitzsimons and the Para Las Familias (PLF) team welcomed Councilmember Vivian Moreno and her Chief of Staff, Gerardo Ramirez Borja.

Leslie Manriquez-Jimenez, Associate Director of Children’s Behavioral Health, shared how PLF provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive care to families, and therapist Andrea Contreras spoke about the growing need for accessible mental health services and the lasting impact of their work.

Thank you, Councilmember Moreno, for your continued community commitment.

Councilmember Moreno (center) poses for a photo with Borja, Fitzsimons, Manriquez-Jimenez, and Contreras. May 2025.

ECS team members share the importance of programs like PLF in our community. May 2025.

Moonlight Ball 2025: One Family’s Courage Made Room for Healing

Jessica, George, and Leilani engage in PLF therapy session as a family. February 2025.

Parenting brings joy, but also pressure that can have serious consequences. A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 33% of parents reported high stress in the past month, compared to 20% of other adults. Nearly half said their stress was overwhelming most days, compared to 26% of non-parents. These findings were highlighted in the U.S. Surgeon General’s Parents Under Pressure advisory, released in August 2024, underscoring the toll parental stress takes on health.

Parents have to worry about finances, work, their child’s health, education, general happiness, and so much more. The pressure to excel at all these tasks creates stress, which can impact their own life, as well as the child’s development.

PLF lifts stress from parents like Jessica and George and builds trust between parent and child. *April 2025.

Jessica felt this pressure when her daughter Leilani began to display extreme behavioral issues at age three. “It just felt like the intensity of her emotions was just at another level to where we couldn't take her places,” Jessica said. “Everything was thin ice around her.” Leilani had no filter. She let out her frustration in outbursts, was impulsive, and had trouble focusing.

Routine activities became increasingly difficult. Leilani would demand things and refuse to accept “no” for an answer. “She would say hurtful things and I would be so embarrassed, but she was doing it to get under my skin, to make me give in,” Jessica said. The parent-child dynamic was off balance, leaving the child with control.

George feels the impact of PLF on his relationship with his daughter and his parenting skills. *April 2025.

At home, Jessica and her husband George tried different strategies to handle Leilani’s defiance — rewards, schedules, routines, timeouts — but nothing worked. Frustration in the household grew, and so did the pressure.

Jessica hoped that starting school would help regulate Leilani’s behavior. Unfortunately, that was not the case. “I was very hopeful that things were going to turn around, but it just seemed to open another door of anxiety because it was a different environment, so that was challenging on top of the behavior,” she explained.

PLF helps Leilani process her emotions and deal with change in a healthy way. *April 2025.

At school, Leilani was too controlling while playing with others and often let her emotions get the best of her, resulting in outbursts. She even attempted to leave the school on a few occasions. Although she was doing well academically, her parents ultimately decided to hold her back from transitioning to kindergarten because she wasn’t ready to move up emotionally; the idea of change was overwhelming.

As issues stacked up, Jessica lost her confidence as a parent. She and George have two adult daughters, so when Leilani came along, they felt ready. But the techniques they used with their other children did not work with their youngest. “I felt like a failure, like I must be doing something wrong…,” Jessica said.

While Jessica struggled at home, Leilani’s ECS Head Start teachers noticed the same challenges at school. They partnered with her parents to continue home strategies in the classroom, and while it helped a little, the behavioral issues remained. Still, her teachers knew what to do next, and connected the family to Para Las Familias.

Leilani and her therapist Itzel. *April 2025.

ECS Para Las Familias (PLF) is an outpatient behavioral and mental health clinic that provides bilingual early childhood mental health services to low-income children ages 0 to 12. Children can display behavioral problems for several reasons; PLF gives caregivers practical tools to understand their child’s behaviors by building trust and improving everyday family communication.

Jessica admitted that she and her husband were nervous at first. Would Leilani behave in therapy? Would her outbursts reflect poorly on them? Jessica and George decided to attend every session with Leilani, working together to find solutions as a family. “It was a slow process,” Jessica said. “But right when we got towards the end, it was like a tremendous turnaround.”

PLF taught Jessica and George a variety of tools to guide Leilani with compassion and understanding. One of Jessica’s favorite exercises was “video situations.” After obtaining the parents’ permission, their therapist, Itzel, would record parent-child interactions and then watch the video with the parents to observe from an outside perspective. This activity helped Jessica learn what behaviors needed to be adjusted at home.

With the help of PLF, Leilani’s true strengths can now shine true, which are recognized by her parents and teachers. *April 2025.

Eventually, things began to change for Jessica and her family. “When our friends and neighbors noticed it; that’s when it hit us that it was working,” she said. “The sessions changed our lives for the better.”

Now, Leilani cooperates with chores, homework, and school. If she’s not in a good mood, Jessica can read Leilani’s body language, communicate effectively, and compromise.

Leilani has blossomed thanks to PLF. She is open, understanding, and respectful. One of her teachers even described her as “noble,” a word of praise that brought smiles to her parents’ faces. She is excelling academically and has a big heart, making friends with everyone she meets.

Leilani celebrates her graduation from ECS Head Start. *April 2025.

Now a kindergartener, Leilani still has a great relationship with her Head Start teachers. "They helped her through the process. They too were part of the healing process for her," she said.

As Leilani’s behavior improved, Jessica and George regained their confidence and now work together as a team to do what’s best for their daughter. They speak highly of Itzel and how her compassionate work made their family stronger.

PLF created space for Jessica and her family to heal and grow together. February 2025.

Jessica sings PLF’s praises. “I totally recommend it. Any time anybody tells me they’re having issues I tell them you need to look into this program,” she said. “It really helped my family... it’s hopeful.” For many families, PLF is the first step in the development of a healthy and emotionally intelligent adult. This program is making a difference in the community, one family at a time. To learn more about PLF, visit Para Las Familias — Episcopal Community Services.

*Caption dates may not be exact.

Advocating for Healthy Development Services

Last Friday, ECS leaders Rosa Cabrera, Embrie Tapia, Stacie Perez, and Board Member Chris Cate joined Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, the Children First Collective, and other advocates to address critical funding challenges for Healthy Development Services (HDS), a vital program supported by First 5 San Diego.

Healthy Development Services allows ECS to expand its services and make a greater impact on families. February 2025.

With HDS funding at risk, the discussion focused on potential cuts that could impact thousands of children and their communities. ECS highlighted its role in providing Behavioral Health Level 3 services through Para Las Familias since the implementation of HDS, emphasizing the importance of early intervention programs.

Together, we’re striving to protect the resources that strengthen our community and ensure every child has the support they need to thrive.