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FREDDIE MAC FOUNDATION HELPS FAIRFAX FUTURES CONNECT COMMUNITY THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF CHILD CARE
24 Latina Family Child Care Providers Complete Pilot Program to Build English-Language and Child Care Skills
On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, Fairfax Futures recognized the achievements of 24 Latina family child care providers who completed a series of English-language and child care development classes as part of a pilot program made possible by a grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation.
Program participants and their families gathered in Fairfax to celebrate completion of the seven-month English-language and child care program.
Implemented in collaboration with Fairfax County’s Office for Children and Fairfax County Public School’s Office of Adult and Continuing Education, the program received additional support from the Northern Virginia Literacy Coordinating Council.
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| Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins |
Working together, the partners created a customized curriculum designed to build the participants’ workforce vocabulary and strengthen their ability to communicate with parents and the children in their care. The program also deepened their knowledge and understanding of how to use newly created early learning guidelines to help young children get ready for success in school.
The participating family child care providers from Falls Church and Herndon were joined by members of their families, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins, Fairfax County School Board members Jane Strauss and Phil Niedzielksi-Eichner, members of Fairfax Futures’ Board of Directors and its’ School Readiness Network and other community leaders.
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| Fairfax County School Board member Jane Strauss |
“The work that you do makes all the difference in the world when children enter kindergarten, “School Board member Jane Strauss told the providers.
The providers expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to come together to learn English, strengthen their child care knowledge, share life experiences and acquire important new skills.
As Maria Velez noted in an excerpt she read aloud from the journal she kept in class, “Today, I am not afraid to get child care training classes in English…This program is helping me to communicate with children and their parents. It is a very important tool to succeed in my job and my career.”
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