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Moms, Dads, Help Prepare Their Children for Kindergarten

Aprendiendo Avanzamos (Learning Together We Advance) delighted families twice a week for 13 weeks from April to June with the help of generous supporters. Moms, dads and kids had so much fun learning together through developmental activities that they asked for more classes!

    

SKCE early learning facilitators led children and parents through a variety of experiences twice a week – singing, art projects, learning games, sensory experiences through play, and literacy development. Parents attended parenting classes one day each week and parent-led preschool the other day. Families attended from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and received a hearty breakfast and snack. Babies and toddlers received developmentally focused childcare.

By the end of the course, 24 parents had been through a 10-week parenting program called Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) on Thursday mornings, while their children received learning-rich preschool. On Friday mornings, parents learned how to make low cost learning activities at home, and then practiced those activities with their child in this second day of preschool each week. Finally, parents attended three trainings of the “Ready! For Kindergarten” program. Each family received and learned to use a $200 “Ready! For Kindergarten” kit of developmental education materials and activities, generously provided by the Marion Polk Early Learning Hub.

 

The impact of Aprendiendo Avanzamos can affect generations.

             

Spanish speaking immigrants from rural areas in Mexico with farm working backgrounds are less likely to have had access to school in their childhood. They tell us of having no books in the home, going to school sporadically as rural teachers sent by the government came and went, and having immediate family needs that often took priority over building the future. The simple act of learning how to provide educational experiences to their children and getting them ready for kindergarten changes the way parents think about the future of their child and family. Parents embrace their role as first teacher, mentor and coach of their children. A domino effect occurs throughout the child’s school career as parents continue to stay involved, learn to advocate for their children, and envision high school graduation, college and/or career accomplishments and improving the family’s income. Thus old cycles of poverty and low literacy are set aside as the new cycle has begun, and is passed down in parenting the next generation.

 

Other supporters that made this session of Aprendiendo Avanzamos possible are:

the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, William S. Walton Charitable Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) Grants Program.

Annalivia and Angel testify before the Salem Keizer School Board

Annalivia Palazzo-Angulo, the SKCE Executive Director, and Angel Reyes, one of the SKCE Educa Inspira Facilitators both testified at the Salem-Keizer School Board meeting on May 23rd, 2017.  Annalivia’s testimony is from 3:32 minutes until 7:54 minutes and her testimony discusses both the school district working within poor state school funding and the importance of maintaining diversity in both hiring and school programs. Angel’s testimony is from 7:54 minutes to 11:35 minutes, and he testifies about the importance of speaking and learning Spanish. Angel’s testimony is in Spanish, with an English translation.

 

Aurora Cedillo, who is one of our hard working Board of Directors, has worked in the Salem Keizer School District for 40 years and has been a  bilingual teacher in the district for 35 years.  She has some valuable insights into the many challenges facing teachers and students.

 

Read Aurora’s discussion of both her experiences and the challenges in the classroom.

Statesman Journal Interview – Goals for SKCE

Annalivia Palazzo-Angulo, the Executive Director and a co-founder of SKCE, discusses her goals and plans for the future with Statesman Journal newspaper reporter, Kaellen Hessel.

Annalivia Palazzo-Angulo, Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality executive director, greets Elianna Castro, 10, during a Spanish literacy class, hosted by SKCE, on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, at Hallman Elementary School in Salem. Also pictured (from left): Gabriela Valenzuela, Jaylene Oropeza Castro, 5, Veronica Carlos and Yaret Carlos, 6.   (Photo: DANIELLE PETERSON / Statesman Journal)

Read the full article: “What’s new at the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality?” Statesman Journal May 2, 2015

Our 2017 Raising the Bar for Oregon Luncheon was a success!

Thank you to our generous business sponsors and supporters who made the luncheon not only possible, but successful.

 

Our 2017 Luncheon theme was

Partnerships for Student Success: Parents, Schools and Community

Our business sponsors are:

Two videos and a slideshow of the luncheon.

The following 11-minute video was shown during our luncheon:

 

And our excellent speakers, Professor Ann Ishimaru and Emilio Solano, as well as our Executive Director, Annalivia Palazzo-Angulo, are available in the 1 hour video.

 


Photos of our generous supporters at the luncheon can also be found on our

Facebook page.

Swegle parents graduate “Abriendo Puertas”

A child’s education begins at home and parents play a critical first role in helping build a bright future for their children. The Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors program builds on parents’ lived experiences so that they can be first teacher at home. After parents graduate from Abriendo Puertas they have more resources to help their children in school.

Here’s some of the comments parents shared:

“I learned to make daily activities as learning opportunities for my children” -Rosemary

“I learned that even though I didn’t have a formal education, I was still capable of being my child’s first teacher” -Irma

Here’s some photos of the graduation at La Plazita:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thank you Nonprofit Insurance Alliance group!

Father and Daughter

At the end of January, we entered the ANI/NIAC member photo contest. Voting was open for a week, many organizations participated. Although we didn’t win the online voting portion of the photo contest. They loved our photo and was chosen to be featured in their 2014 annual report! A check for $100 was made for us!

logo_Nonprofit Insurance Alliance Group (ANI)SKCE Logo with transparent logo

 

SKCE and the Latino Partnership Project of Oregon Community Foundation

lppSKCE has been part of the Latino Partnership Project of Oregon Community Foundation since it started in 2002. OCF’s LPP helped SKCE become a stable and growing nonprofit with statewide impact through technical assistance grants, mentoring and encouragement to engage in the statewide civic process.

This year, LPP has begun an Oregon Latino Leadership Development Program, which kicked off its first convening at Oregon State University. The second convening was held in Salem at the Joan and Ray Kroc Salvation Army Center, with the theme of “Writing and Telling your Story,” an effort to help Latino led nonprofits share a common story about the Latino community in Oregon and incorporate data and research to strengthen the impact of that story. Peer to peer networking helps emerging Latino organizations to strengthen and build Latino leadership.

To learn more about the Latino Partnership Project, visit their site.

SKCE Executive Director testimony at the Oregon Education Investment Board meeting

We are coming close to the Oregon 2015 Legislative Session. One issue being brought before the Legislature is a proposal to change the ELL funding formula and accountability measures. The Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality has advocated for these changes for 14 years. Since 1992, districts have received a weight of 0.5 in additional funding, currently about $3,725, per ELL student. But accountability measures were never built in to the policy.

Some districts spend 100% of the funds on ELL programs. Other districts spend less than 50%. The money goes into the general fund to be used as districts wish. There is no maximum number of years the district can receive the weighted funding for each ELL student so there is no incentive to “graduate” students out of ELL programs.

Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton has submitted a proposal to OEIB to reform the way Oregon allocates ELL funding. The key elements of this proposal are:

• Increase the ELL weight from 0.5 to 0.6
• Limit funding from 4 years up to 7 years according to student levels of proficiency
• Hold districts accountable to spend 90% of the ELL funds on ELL services
• Give districts an incentive: a bonus of $250 for every current or former ELL student who graduates from that district

Another issue being brought to the Legislature concerns the way ODE funds community organizations. Generally, community organizations have a difficult time raising enough education funding to do the critical work they do with disadvantaged children in order to raise their achievement. Research shows that it takes the combined efforts of the community, the school and the family to ensure a child succeeds, especially when that child is part of an underserved population.

In addition, underserved populations need organizations with special skills gained by being part of the culture of those they serve. These are called culturally specific organizations, and we are one of these. We are part of the community we serve and no one knows the community better than the community itself. We can bring solutions that don’t fit a generic methodology. Our solutions are culturally relevant and uniquely tailored to those we serve.

We strongly encourage the Oregon Department of Education to eliminate the disparities our children face in education and part of that work is to eliminate the disparities that our culturally specific organizations face in receiving funding from ODE.