Families Team Up for LiteracySanta Maria Times: July 31, 2009
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For decades, experts have hammered home the importance of parental involvement in ensuring students' success in school.
Now, the experts at the Central Coast Literacy Council are putting their money where their mouth is.
The council piloted a program this summer that coaches parents on how to become more active in their child's academic lives with the goal of boosting student achievement.
The Family Literacy Program, which targets parents with limited English proficiency or who otherwise feel ill-equipped to help their children with school, is the first of its kind in north Santa Barbara County.
"Many parents think they are not good teachers and they are afraid," said Isa Ponce, CCLC executive director. "But (it's) wrong to think that way. Teaching begins at home."
The CCLC recently moved into its new home inside the Santa Maria Public Library, a location with enough space to host the Family Literacy Program.
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Sixteen teen volunteers, comprised mostly of Righetti High School students, meet with seven families once a week in the library for group activities and to go over strategies on subjects ranging from encouraging kids to read, to organization, to study skills.
Parents also are taught during the hour and a half-long sessions how to navigate the school system in order to ensure their child's needs get fulfilled. For information on becoming a program participant or volunteer, call 925-0951, Ext. 836. READ MORE !
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