La Academia Para Los Padres

Mission Statement: The Parent Academy will relieve conditions of poverty, distress and under privileged by working toward universal literacy and academic achievement. We will strengthen families by helping parents learn best practices of child development and parenting. We will combat community deterioration by improving school performances.

La Academia Para Los Padres (The Academy for Parents) offers a 26 week adult education program, two nights per week, for 20 families with 50 children, teaching low literate Latino parents English and parenting skills for children’s cognitive development. Classes begin in March concluding with graduation in December. Our curriculum consists of four months of language education and two months of parenting education. We present 102 hours of direct instruction and 165 hours of programming.On class nights, the Academy offers families child care and meals at the church, as well as transportation as needed.

Rationale: The best predictor of a child’s literacy level is that of the mother. Children of literate parents are successful in school, less likely to drop out, and score well on standardized tests. Enabling parents to establish language-rich environments at home, children of Academy parents will make good grades through elementary school.