Hope for Tomorrow Learning Community Center empowers parents and their children through literacy
When Patricia first came to the Learning Community Center of South Omaha (LCC), a partnership with the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties, she wanted to improve her English so she could be a better advocate for her son who has autism. Today, she is working at the OneWorld Quick Sick Clinic using English and Spanish and is finishing her GED. “She was working so hard to better her family’s life when I first met her and now she’s using her English skills at work, accomplishing her educational goals and helping her family thrive,” said Carolina Ibarra Nielsen, LCC Program Manager. The LCC of South Omaha uses a two-generation approach to increase English literacy for non-English speaking parents and their young children, ages 0-4 years old. “Having the knowledge of where to go, how to ask questions and form connections stem from the ability to read and write,” said Carolina. “We work with families that have young children or women who are pregnant to give them the ability to build their confidence in their own literacy and transfer that confidence to their children.” In addition to English as a Second Language courses, participants can earn their GED, form connections with other community organizations for college and participate in workforce development and other family-centered activities including music classes. Learning a new language can be intimidating, but Carolina said the LCC’s welcoming atmosphere and team members, in addition to onsite childcare, provide a positive learning environment for parents and their children. “A lot of our team members are graduates of our Center, so they understand what it is like to be on the other side,” said Carolina. “It is great for current participants to have people to look up to that once stood in their shoes and are now able to mentor them.” With Covid-19, schools turned to remote learning. The LCC noticed many of the parents did not know how to use a computer or tablet, which consequently affected their children. “Parents were thrown into this situation and there were no other options,” said Carolina. “If they didn’t have access to technology, or know how to use the technology, their children would simply no longer be a part of the education system.” To address the technology knowledge gap, digital literacy was introduced into the curriculum. “We are working with the future leaders of America, so touching their lives when they’re younger and sending them off with their parents who now have the tools and resources to continue learning is so powerful.” Literacy, by definition, is the ability to read and write. Literacy, by application, is hope for tomorrow.
17
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online