Spanish-speaking Parents and Kids Learning Academics Together

Spanish-speaking Parents and Kids Learning Academics Together Spanish-speaking Parents and Kids Learning Academics Together

An article about Spanish-speaking parents and kids learning academics together highlights a school that holds a family literacy night after school every week, providing working parents with the chance to read to their kids in both Spanish and English. Once parents arrive, they find read-aloud circles where teachers read books aloud to a small group, or parents can find spots where they can read with their child individually, says the article. These different activities allow parents to join in on the ones where they feel most comfortable. The event offers parents the opportunity to meet other parents and show their kids the importance of reading while learning how to support literacy development at home, it adds.

Holding English and Spanish-friendly workshops like these, parents feel more involved in their child’s learning process, which will encourage them to become more active in the process, says a white paper called “Increasing Parent Involvement for ESL Parents.” Also, providing the necessary tools for active participation, it allows parents to communicate together and talk with educators, all of which can assist greatly in meeting their child’s academic needs, the white paper states. There are many misconceptions regarding the role of immigrant families in their child’s life. However, by schools providing the necessary resources for parents, it gently opens the door for communication in homes, not to mention the entire community.

Parent involvement definitely pays off for the children states a report called “A New Wave of Evidence.” A review of 51 studies, for instance, found that students with more involved parents have a higher likelihood of:

  • Earning higher grades and test scores
  • Attending school on a more regular basis
  • Enrolling in higher-level programs
  • Graduate and go on to postsecondary education

An effective way for Spanish-speaking parents and kids to learn academics together is through programs like The Latino Family Literacy Project that embraces the entire family. Teachers and staff are first trained through either an online webinar.

Once staff is trained, they then offer workshops designed to establish family reading routines for Spanish- and English-speaking parents at the school site. The Project introduces the teachers to a language acquisition method and a step- by-step literacy instruction process. It involves family reading for Hispanic parent involvement, vocabulary development, and English-language development for parents and their children. Please contact our office to receive a free information kit with book samples to review at your leisure.