Redlands schools offer Latino Family Literacy Project this fall

REDLANDS, Calif. — Spanish-speaking parents in the Redlands Unified School District can participate in the Latino Family Literacy Project (LFLP) at three schools: Franklin, Mission, and Victoria Elementary. The program starts in September.

Sonya Balingit, the director of the Multilingual Education and Family Engagement department, shared, "This program helps parents and families become well-informed advocates for their children. When parents and families actively participate in their children's education, the impact is far-reaching."

What's behind the program

The LFLP encourages bilingual literacy and helps families make reading a regular activity. It also introduces parents to English-language arts standards like vocabulary development, reading comprehension, critical analysis, and literary response.

English Learner Program specialists from RUSD's Multilingual Education and Family Engagement department lead the classes.

Throughout the program, participants receive a set of bilingual books that reflect the experiences of Latino families and celebrate Latino culture and the Spanish language.

Viridiana Vizcarra, a parent at Victoria Elementary School, expressed her appreciation for the bilingual books, saying, "What I like about the books is that they are bilingual. I feel more comfortable because my daughter reads in English, I read in Spanish, and we are in tune with what we are doing."

Parents of English Learner students also enhance their readiness to prepare their children for the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) test. These classes allow parents to connect and socialize with other bilingual or Spanish-speaking parents from their school communities.

How to participate

If you are a parent at Franklin, Mission, or Victoria Elementary School and are interested in participating in the Latino Family Literacy Project, you can get more information by visiting your school's office. If your child's school doesn't offer the LFLP this semester, please contact your school's English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) to express your interest.

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