As all of us struggle in this uncertain time, we are learning – how to protect ourselves, our friends and families, and the communities we serve. We are glued to the media to learn what others are discovering about COVID-19 and how it affects our world and future. Here, in our backyard, every day we learn more about the devastating impact on our immigrant families. Many Latinos, now “essential” to our food supply and economy, got sick before learning about the virus and how to limit its spread. Now, even with more information in Spanish, occupational, economic and family requirements increase exposure, transmission and ill health from the virus. Despite the strong will, work ethic and resilience of our Latino families, many are suffering more than we can imagine.
Education is the key to a just and equitable society, and it is integral to your work as teachers, family counselors, guias, volunteers and more. My work as a nurse and college professor – and now, as executive director of Arsht-Cannon Fund at Delaware Community Foundation – has always focused on education. Since 2007 (and close to $10 million in grants), the fund has worked with nonprofits to provide educational opportunities for Delaware’s Latino families. From the beginning, research led to the decision to fund language learning, such as ESL and family literacy programs; pre-K through 12th-grade programs for English learners; after-school and summer opportunities; arts and cultural programs; health programs that support learning; educational advocacy; and collaborative learning (see www.arshtcannonfund.org for more). The goals of La Colectiva Delaware are learning-based – focused on building collaborative, innovative approaches to address needs, issues and opportunities and on increasing the capacity of all our partner organizations to serve our Latino families.
At La Colectiva, we are building the tools to support learning and collaboration. We are working to teach English to adults, “our newcomers”; young English learners and their parents in school or daycare settings; and to families where parents attend multi-level ESL programs while their children get homework help or prep for kindergarten. Our members have so much experience and expertise in personalizing learning and supporting families. With the challenges of the pandemic, it is time for all of us to rethink, retool and identify needed resources. For example, helping learners become more comfortable and connected to the internet supports remote learning. Reaching more people (who cannot attend ESL classes due to transportation, childcare needs and work schedules) through online instruction can result in greater language acquisition. I think about the many proven benefits of learning English, but the most frequent answer parents give is to help their children with their schoolwork. As we help families learn English, we are sure to invest in their children’s – and our — success.
Take care, be safe and stay well.
Dr. Christine Cannon,
La Colectiva Steering Committee Co-Chair and Funder