By Alicia Coffman
Erika Delune moved to America from Mexico seven years ago, and during that time she has often felt lost and confused.
'When I am surrounded by people speaking English, I try to take a deep breath and at least pick pieces of what I can understand,' Delune said. 'The rest of the time, I feel like I''m in a nightmare that doesn''t end.'
Delune signed up for English-speaking classes in the past, but had found it impossible to manage her busy life as a mother, settle into a foreign country and continue those classes.
Delune is only one of the many non-English speaking parents in Utah Valley who may feel misplaced with no idea where to turn for help.
At Timpanogos Elementary, more than 50 percent of their students come from non-English speaking families, said Estela Bradley, founder and director of Timpanogos'' Parent Center.
Timpanogos Elementary, along with other schools in Provo school district, is giving parents a chance to learn as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program.
Delune said she is excited to finally have a program that is flexible and willing to do literally whatever it can to help her.
'I can finally learn the skills that will make it possible to help my child with school and to fully live my life here in America,' Delune said.
Christine Forstner, Provo School District director of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Programs, said the goal of the program is to help students progress academically by providing educational services for the families of the children because there is a direct correlation between the two.
'We believe students won''t progress if the parents don''t progress academically as well,' Forstner said.
Years ago, Bradley was a volunteer who taught English classes while attending Brigham Young University. She said sherealized what a desperate need a lot of immigrants had for someone to listen and provide opportunities for them to succeed. Soon after, Bradley''s children began to attend Timpanogos Elementary and she saw parents needing guidance and help. She saw immigrants who had no one willing to help them function in a completely foreign society. It hurt her to see these fraught parents.
'I had a vision of a program that was aimed to help these struggling parents,' Bradley said. 'A program that would give them what no one else was giving them: hope.'
After years of hard work, Bradley''s vision has come true and year after year the program gives parents somewhere to turn for help.
'There is a strong need for those parents who don''t have the money for childcare or a mode of transportation, both needed to take a mainstream educational class,' Bradley said. 'Having the center in their community makes it easier for them to walk if they need to as well as provide a familiar comfortable zone for them to learn.'
Bradley said research has shown that when a parent is involved in their child''s education, and they too are expanding their knowledge, the child starts to feel school is important and they are more likely to succeed in school.
'This is a chance for parents to set the example that education is important,' Bradley said. 'For a child there is no better example than their own parent.'
The Parent Center has English classes twice a day, three days a week. They also provide computer skills classes, literacy courses and adult workshops on an array of subjects such as proper nutrition for their children, job skills and even parenting classes.
The center also strives to give these free classes during a time when parents have an ample opportunity to attend the classes. They do this by coinciding after school programs for the parents'' children or while the children are in school. This allows the parents to not worry about trying to pay for childcare, but rather focusing on the opportunity to learn.
'By allowing the parents to have a chance to learn the parents can be on the same page as their children and be able to help their children with their school work,' Bradley said. 'This program is amazing. It gives parents a chance to learn and in the process strengthens families.'
Bradley said the program receives little funding and the only reason it exists is through the generosity of its volunteers and the programs'' partnership with BYU and other agencies.
'We are a special community of people who are willing to serve,' Bradley said. 'Without people who willingly teach the classes for free this program would be nothing.'
Although it has been a struggle to get the Parent Center to where it is today, Bradley said the success stories, and seeing parents united and working for their own and their children''s education, makes any struggle seem minute and worthwhile.
'It is extremely gratifying to do what I do. There is no better feeling than watching parents and students growing, learning, and succeeding,' Bradley said. 'The parent center facilitates success to those who thought they would never succeed and to those others have forgotten.'