“Aprendiendo de tus Manos”/“Learning from Your Hands”: How One Mentor is Making an Impact in Her School Community
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Earlier this year, Sussy Borrego, Academic Facilitator and BBF mentor at Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, began a six-week pilot literacy program at the school to prepare its Latino students for kindergarten. This program, called “Aprendiendo de tus Manos”/“Learning from Your Hands” brings together roughly 20 parents and caregivers at its Hickory Grove Elementary School location one morning a week to assist them in creating dual language and literacy activities to support their children at home. Sussy developed this program as a way to bridge learning between school and home and provide parents with resources to carry out literacy activities at home with their children in both Spanish and English. Members of the BBF team recently visited Charlotte Bilingual Preschool’s site at Hickory Grove Elementary to see “Aprendiendo de tus Manos” in action.
Inspired by the local Read Charlotte initiative, Sussy’s lessons are based on some of the skills children need as they learn to read, including:
Sussy and several ECE apprentices work together to plan each two-hour session. On the morning of each session, Sussy and apprentices set up tables of support materials, such as Play-Doh, small plastic letters, clothespins, and letter strips for each parent to compile a take-home activity kit. Sussy explains several literacy activities throughout the morning and how the corresponding materials can be used to support the activity. Parents have the opportunity to practice the activities followed by small- and whole-group time to share feedback and ideas. One activity on letter writing tasked children with tracing letters in sand with a pencil, which led to a bigger conversation on what other common materials can be used to trace or compile letters. Beans, cornmeal, pasta letters, and making bracelets with letter beads were just some of the creative suggestions shared among the group!
The response from parents, students, and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. Sussy has seen this program serve as a way for parents to connect, form friendships, flourish in creativity, and gain confidence in their ability to teach their child – all while having fun. “These parents are committed. They have become more creative, energetic, and involved as the program has progressed.” said Sussy.
Another benefit of the program is the free child care provided for those with babies and young toddlers, helping participating parents of “Aprendiendo de tus Manos” be more fully engaged in each session. Additionally, several parents mentioned how much their child enjoys the fact that their parent is going to school, too. When asked about her daughter’s reaction to this, one parent commented, “My daughter is very interested in what Mommy is doing at her school and wants to mimic it when she gets home. I am appreciative of this experience and the child care is very beneficial.”
The apprentices involved in “Aprendiendo de tus Manos” all agreed that they have seen an improvement in their student’s learning and their confidence at school as a result of the program. Yesenia, an apprentice, commented, “This workshop has motivated parents to help their children at home. The parents are connected to activities they remember from their own childhood, but in a more modern way.”
Sussy is implementing “Aprendiendo de tus Manos” in two more of Charlotte Bilingual Preschool’s locations in Mecklenburg County with nine families participating. With the success and positive feedback of this pilot program, she hopes it can continue, adding, “This [program] helps parents disconnect from the world and connect with their child.”