First 5 LA Visits the Family Literacy Parent ConferenceMay 9, 2008 |
Printer-friendly version |
 Los Angeles County is home to thousands of parents, some who struggle with language and literacy barriers. Recently, First 5 LA had the opportunity to join a gathering of parents of children 0-5 all working towards gaining literacy skills to help improve their families' lives. Held April 25th at the Carson Community Center, more than 300 parents and children were bussed in from their respective programs to soak in the 4th Annual Family Literacy and Health Parent Conference: Building our Children's Future. This half-day conference was coordinated by the Los Angeles County Office of Education's Family Literacy Support Network (FLSN), the technical assistance group that supports the 24 First 5 LA-funded Family Literacy sites. The event was held to motivate participating parents to achieve educational goals and have an opportunity to meet and learn from one another. First 5 LA Commissioner Corina Villaraigosa was chosen as the keynote speaker for her commitment to supporting parents as advocates for their children. "She reminded us that no matter who you are, being a parent is hard, but our kids must come first," said Nadia Rios about Commissioner Villaraigosa's speech. There was not a dry eye in the house after the Commissioner proclaimed how proud she was of all of the participating families. Another parent speaker, Graciela Castañeda from Garfield Community Adult School, shared her personal success story about going from non-working ESL student to working mother and earning her high school diploma this spring. After the morning plenary and breakfast, participants attended workshops on topics including nutrition, parent leadership, transition to kindergarten, and temper tantrum prevention. Each workshop provided parents an opportunity to strengthen their parenting skills as well as develop relationships with other parents. Childcare was provided, and the participating children got a visit from Five-a-Day staff member Carmel Madonna, who sang to them about the importance of eating more fruits and veggies. "We have come a long way," said Liz Guerra, Project Director for the FLSN. "Four years ago this conference was just an idea, ...{but} with support from First 5 LA, it became a dream come true." said Guerra. At the event, First 5 LA spoke to conference coordinators, Elida Garcia and Donielle Cole, as well as a couple of parent participants. Click below to see the interviews and more.
|
|
