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Dr. Steve J. Rios has worn many hats in his life.
He was a cub reporter for the Miami Herald when they still used that term, he studied political science and taught government at Miami Dade College and research at Florida Atlantic University. He’s worked for the Miami Dade Early Learning coalition and launched a small business.
But his true life’s work spans three decades — helping children and families in the foster care system in Florida and around the country. More specifically, Rios has worked to bridge the gap between foster children and quality education.
After receiving his master’s degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Rios began his doctoral work in adult education and the faith sector. As he worked through his studies with a goal to become a public speaker, he happened upon what would later become his passion while doing some editing work for a newsletter for a children’s home in Hialeah.
“After about a year of working with these children and their families, I had become well known to them. I started working for this agency, and realized how many children in foster care were failing in school,” Rios said. “And I never looked back.”
Rios earned his doctoral degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development with a dissertation titled From Foster Care to College.
Building on his 30 years of experience in the field, Rios is adding a new chapter in his life, as an author of a series of children’s books to help foster kids and the adults in their lives gain a better understanding of their circumstances. He describes his most recent book, “Oly & Opi: The Curious Octopus Twins,” as a gentle book for a sensitive topic. The 14-page illustrated book features a whimsical yet important tale of twin dumbo octopuses as they navigate their journey within the “foster care system” under the sea.
“I wanted to write a book that did three things,” Rios said. “I want to help little children in foster care realize that you can have a guardian who looks different from you but can still love you deeply. I want them to see themselves in a book that draws them in with wonderful animals.”
Secondly, Rios said he wanted to create the book to appeal to other children who are not in foster care, to help them understand the dynamics of differing family structures. And third, Rios wanted to give adults an outlet to begin the conversations with children about foster care and encourage healthy discussions about the natural curiosity that comes along with it.
“We explained to the children that the mother octopus had to go away and we talked about the twin octopuses different personalities,” said Cecilia Palavecino, the manager of the Global Field Academy Enrichment Center and Montessori Workshop, where children read about Oly and Opi during the last day of school recently. “We also talked about the importance of listening to others with Dr. Rios’ second book, Please Let Me Talk. And then one of the students told everyone what she knows about octopuses.”
Rios draws his inspiration for the book from his many years working with children, families and outside influences as part of Educate Tomorrow, non-profit organization based on Miami Beach. With Educate Tomorrow, he is the senior director of Positive Pathways, a program of the Florida Department of Children and Families dedicated to helping foster youth succeed academically.
Throughout his years of working in the two agencies, Rios recognized a need to address a lack of confidence and motivation among foster children that sometimes hindered their ability to take advantage of educational opportunities.
Rios hopes that the adventures of Oly and Opi in his current books and the books yet to come, will help young children in foster care gain a sense of belonging and hope.
“The state of Florida offers free college tuition to foster children until the age of 28, but many children in foster care don’t even graduate high school,” he said. “I hope these books will be another way I can help improve the lives of children through education.”
Dr. Steve J. Rios will hold a book signing for “Oly & Opi: The Curious Octopus Twins” 11 a.m.-noon July 9 at the Miami-Dade Main Public Library, 101 West Flagler St., Miami. The book is also available on Amazon in both electronic and paperback formats. For more information, visit www.deepseamedia.org.
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