“If you really want to affect change, you can’t do this work without the people who are experiencing the achievement gap. That is, Latino and low-income families.”
On July 24, on KGNU’s “A Public Affair,” the Community Foundation led a conversation about the achievement gap in Boulder County – and how an innovative movement, ELPASO, is addressing the challenge.
Launched at the Community Foundation, ELPASO (Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes) – now a standalone nonprofit, including a small staff and 10-member board – seeks to close the achievement gap between our Latino and Anglo students by engaging parents to better prepare their children to enter kindergarten ready to learn.
“Boulder County has the largest achievement gap in Colorado,” says Chris Barge, the foundation’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “Latino kids and kids from low-income families are half as likely to be successful than their middle- and higher-income peers.
“In response, ELPASO was conceived with the realization that – if you really want to affect change, you can’t do this work without the people who are experiencing the achievement gap. That is, Latino and low-income families.”
People like ELPASO School Readiness Coordinator Claudia Sanchez. “I find families who may not know the resources available to them,” she says of the program, which is rooted in relationships. “After we have a conversation, you see big smiles – they understand the need to familiarize themselves with what kids need to be ready to learn, before they start school.
“ELPASO makes a big difference for kids – and their parents. Even getting them to read to their kids every night.”
Adds ELPASO Board Chair Carin Chow, also a school counselor and therapist: “I’ve never met a single parent or family who doesn’t want their children to be successful in school.
“I’m so excited that our participating parents are able to be involved in their children’s education. As a child of immigrants myself, that was something that was really missing: access to knowing how to navigate the educational system.
“My parents had no idea what college looked like, what graduation from high school looks like – what getting a job looks like. ELPASO helps parents feel empowered and enabled.”
In case you missed the live broadcast, you can still listen to it here – including the impact of ELPASO to date, a discussion about what’s next, and how you can get involved and make a difference for our kids. Additionally, watch for our new TRENDS Report, to be released in September: TRENDS tracks 150 community indicators, including our progress on addressing community challenges like the achievement gap.
Join us on Aug. 28 for our next radio show on KGNU.
