PLACENTIA : Homework Program for Latinos OKd

The County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a funding request from the Placentia Library District to start an after-school homework assistance program aimed at Latino students.

The district will receive $41,000 to begin the program, which will offer tutors for students as well as their parents. It will also focus on educating limited-English-speaking parents on how to help their children with school assignments, said Gwen Johnson, coordinator of the district’s family literacy programs.

“These parents want to help their children but often cannot because the homework is in English and they only speak Spanish,” Johnson said.

The county money will enable the district to establish a satellite office at the Whiten Community Center on Melrose Avenue, in a predominantly Latino area, to serve families with transportation problems.

“We found from our literacy programs that parents will utilize our services if they’re accessible,” Johnson said.

The funds will pay for one paid bilingual coordinator, desks, bookshelves and any other necessary equipment, Johnson said. The district will supply most of the educational materials for the program.

The program is for pupils from grades two to 12 and will operate from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For parents, there will be an opportunity to learn English or work with tutors helping their children. Spanish-speaking parents may also be recruited as tutors for children who don’t speak English, Johnson said.

Volunteers will be recruited and trained in August to have the program in place for the new school year, said district director Elizabeth Minter.

“We want to do more than just make the parent literate,” Johnson said. “We want them to learn how to become active in teaching their child and become a stronger role model for education.”