Excerpts from Adelante Mujeres' Early Childhood Education Program Report

From February-October 2014, the Adelante Mujeres Project Impact team worked to develop a new approach to qualitative evaluation for their Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. This process has given a fresh and thoughtful way to understand the program’s impact in the early years for the children they serve. The following are excerpts from the team's Evaluation Report, based on interviews with the mothers of children in the Early Childhood Education program.

Finding: Children are developing a love for learning.

Several of the mothers interviewed had older children who did not participate in the Early Childhood Education Program and younger children who did participate. In each case they reported that the younger children had more self-confidence and were better prepared for kindergarten. In addition, they noticed that their younger children were developing a love for learning. This was exemplified by the excitement mothers noticed on their children’s faces when the children showed mom what they had learned in school, and children’s persistence in asking mom or dad to engage with them in educational play and reading. One mother said that if a child is not emotionally ready, he or she cannot learn. The mother then went on to comment that there is such a strong team (parent and teacher) supporting the child and, as a result, her child is ready to learn.

Finding: Children are developing the skills needed for success in kindergarten.

Parents spoke about a number of observations regarding their child’s readiness for kindergarten from their child’s ability to recognize numbers, colors and shapes, to their ability to count in both English and Spanish. They also spoke about the development of their fine motor skills, their ability to follow directions, and to ask for what they need. Additionally, many mothers commented that their children are asking them to engage in educational play.

Finding: By developing bilingual competency, children are building pride in their heritage.

One mother mentioned that her child now can choose which language to use depending on the situation. She went on to say that her child prefers seeing movies in Spanish, “perhaps because he can understand the emotional content.”

Another mother recounted an incident where her son brought home a friend from school who spoke only English. When the mom spoke English to the child, the son said “No mami, speak to him in Spanish. That is the language we speak in the home.” The mother was so proud of the fact that her son recognized the different contexts wherein each language was appropriate and this incident showed her that her son valued their heritage language.

Pride in heritage is something that mothers seem to recognize as important and, if not developed early, can be hard to reclaim. One mother talked about her older son (who did not participate in the program) having lots of trouble when he entered middle school. He struggled with his classes and with his identity as a young Latino. She wishes that he had the benefit of the ECE program when he was younger and she guesses that if he had participated in Adelante’s ECE things might have been different.

Finding: Parents see bilingual skills as a tool for a better life for their children.

The confidence of being able to navigate learning in both English and Spanish was palpable for the moms. One mother was particularly animated as she told the story of how her child helped another child, who spoke no English, in school. She communicated not only her son’s excitement over being able to do this, but also her profound pride in his abilities.

The other strong advantage of bilingual education that parents identified is the fact that mom and dad can help the child with their school work at home. One mother spoke from the heart when she described the joy that she experienced when she was able to help her child with homework in Spanish. For many parents with children in the Early Childhood Education program at Adelante Mujeres, the confidence to be able to help their children in Spanish is much greater than in English. This, in turn, leads to more confidence in learning for both the parent and the child.

Another mother talked about the difficulty her older child had in staying with a bilingual program in 5th and 6th grade when the academics became more challenging. She lamented the fact that this child did not have the strong base in Spanish that her younger son was developing. She clearly identified the difference as the lack of a strong partnership in Spanish language skills between parent, teacher, and child in the early years.

Finding: Parents are embracing education as a golden ticket to a better life for their child.

One mother reported that “my responsibility as a parent is to help my children continue with their studies. This way they will have better lives.” Even though they may not have used the exact same words, many other parents echoed these sentiments. It is clear that parents see education as a “way out” of poverty.Another mother described a situation that demonstrates her recognition that supporting her children never stops even when children are older. This mom told the story of her daughter who is studying at PCC and who sometimes calls her and says “Mami I am so tired of studying”. This mom goes on to say that she tells her daughter “Vale la pena. Sigue echando ganas/ This is worth it. Don’t give up. ” And her daughter responded, “Thank you Mami, your words help me to continue.”

Finding: Mothers are becoming “captains” of their child’s education team.

Once the mothers begin to see the role they can play in their child’s education, they are eager to be involved in making their child’s educational experience a success. Mothers are seeing their role as their child’s primary teacher. They are recognizing the centrality of their involvement. Several mothers used the word “team” when talking about the relationship between the teacher, child, and parent. And it is clear that they are beginning to see the importance of assuming the role as “captain.” In this sense, the mothers are taking the lead role both in advocating for their child’s needs and in coaching them through the educational system.The husbands are also beginning to take a role in supporting the child’s education. Some of the mothers reported that this new development is welcomed by them. One mom said, “We are just now becoming a team dedicated to the welfare of our son in school.” However, the emphasis of Adelante Mujeres’ adult education and parenting programming is on the mothers, so we are witnessing a less rapid transformation in the fathers of the children we work with. Still, the mothers are encouraging the whole family to engage in learning.