We spoke this week to Lafayette Mayor ProTem Gustavo Reyna and Christina Suraez – Attendance Advocate, North Boulder and Mountain Schools – about the poverty-related challenges of the younger, quickly growing Latino population in our county.
Last month, we explored what it means to fight stereotypes about Latinos in East Boulder County. Continuing the conversation, we spoke this week to Lafayette Mayor ProTem Gustavo Reyna and Christina Suraez – Attendance Advocate, North Boulder and Mountain Schools – about the poverty-related challenges of the younger, quickly growing Latino population in our county.
Indeed, according to our Boulder County TRENDS report, 31% of the county’s Latino population was under the age of 15 in 2013, compared with 14% of the Anglo population.
“East Boulder County is the most diverse part of our county, and one of the most unequal,” says Gustavo, who serves on the Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission, Youth Advisory Committee and One Lafayette board. “Youth in Lafayette, Longmont and parts of Louisville face a host of challenges in terms of their home situations, access to services and – in many cases – a lack of guidance and role models.”
That’s why, according to Gustavo, there’s a growing emphasis on how to break the vicious circle of poverty. “Children are starting school unprepared with the basic building blocks to socialize, to articulate their needs, and to learn and develop their brains,” he says. “The Community Foundation has done a lot of work on addressing the achievement gap countywide. Here at the town level, we’re focusing our efforts on both kids and their parents. One of our messages to parents is that you’re still learning and socializing as an adult, and that’s the kind of role model your kids need to see.”
In collaboration with area service agencies and nonprofits – including the Sister Carmen Community Center and the Parent Engagement Network, among others – a collective emphasis on Latino parents further includes teaching life skills that, in turn, challenge some cultural beliefs. “As part of our efforts, we seek to change old-school thinking about things like girls excelling in math and science, and young women going to college,” explains Gustavo.
Also underway is a library initiative to encourage reading among parents and children, and what Gustavo calls learning-through-play. “It starts at the pre-school level, ensuring that all children have access to books and toys, and exposure to colors and textures – like at the WOW! Children’s Museum – to help develop their brains.
“We also seek to address self-esteem issues that come from feeling alienated from the mainstream. Too many Latino kids feel like they’re seen as not being college material, and not equal with everyone else. They feel uncertain about their futures, and they don’t know their options.
“In our schools, there remains little understanding of what these kids bring to the classroom. Sometimes they’re ashamed of their family situations – alcoholism, poor nutrition, or lack of sleep and a proper bed. So they might act up in class and are immediately pegged as having a bad attitude, or not being motivated or driven enough.
“We need to do better to address basic needs, first. We can’t fix everything, but we have to start somewhere.”
Gustavo is especially proud of the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee comprising high school and middle school students who – similar to participants in The Community Foundation’s 15 Forever Program – advocate for youth by creating programs and making suggestions that address some of the issues faced by their peers. He’s also encouraged by the City of Lafayette’s approval of designating 10% of its public safety mill levy to create programs and projects where youth feel safe, heard, appreciated and involved in their schools and communities.
“As a community, we need to work together to convey the message that everyone is capable of succeeding,” says Gustavo. “But unless we walk the path that some of these kids have walked, we can’t understand the barriers they need to overcome.”
Agrees Christina Suarez, who has worked as a school attendance advocate for more than 12 years: “Most of the issues we face in our schools relate to poverty,” she says. “There’s limited housing in Boulder County, and what’s on the market is very expensive. As a result, people are forced to live in highly concentrated areas – whether subsidized housing, low-income rental apartments, or trailers. Latinos and people of color are impacted the most.
“The challenge that parents have is reconciling their ability to go to work at whatever their hours are – understanding that most people in poverty work at minimum wage, less than $15 an hour, and therefore have to work multiple jobs – and leaving their children unattended for hours at a time. This gives the perception that the adults in these kids’ lives aren’t invested in their education and well-being, but I’ve found that’s not the case at all.”
Christina also points to another challenge: a “huge gap” in culturally appropriate mental health care. “Kids who live in poverty experience chronic, low-grade stress over long periods of time. That takes a toll.”
“Parent engagement programs are very important for kids to thrive in school and in their lives, but how do you engage parents who need to work 12 hours a day?” continues Christina. “As a community, we need to fix the enormous income disparity in Boulder County. After that, we have to do more help schools and human service providers understand the impact of trauma and chronic stress.
“If you don’t come from that perspective, you’re going to look at parents and kids in a negative way. It’s all too easy to make judgments when you don’t understand the many effects of poverty.”
As part of a solution to Boulder County’s poverty challenge, Christina suggests “getting out of silo thinking.”
“Community agencies and school districts need to work collaboratively to ensure secure and consistent environments for kids. Not to mention, if we pull our resources together, we’ll save money and more kids will get a good education – and they’ll achieve the next income level when they’re adults and parenting their own kids.”
