In these times of uncertainty, we are all being asked to consider​ what community really means and how we can support each other.  ​

​There were wide economic, social and educational gaps in our area before COVID-19. During this crisis there is a real risk these gaps may become chasms. Latino families are harder hit by the economic downturn and often lack the essential tools and optimal conditions for on-line schooling. 
 

​ELPASO is a bridge builder between the Latino community, the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts and broader economic and human services.  ELPASO's mission is now more important than ever. 
 
 During this crisis, we are working with Latino families to: 

• Ensure they receive relevant communication about local services - from food to Chromebooks
• Facilitate affordable internet access
• Access free online learning tools and activities
• Connect remotely with us and each other, so no one feels isolated or alone
• Continue with our programs, now online, to ensure our kids don't fall behind

​​​Hear what Tavia Teitler, a summer intern at ELPASO, has to say about her experience working at ELPASO.    
Excerpt:  I am majoring in comparative studies in race and ethnicity with a concentration in inequality in education, so a lot of my time at Stanford has been spent learning about theories of education inequity. However, I lacked intimate firsthand knowledge of what people were doing in their communities to tackle these issues. In other words, I didn’t know what many of these concepts and theories looked like on the ground.

​Letter to the editor from Liza Purvis, ELPASO board member and Director, Marketing and Communications - Colorado Chautauqua

​I’m sure you recall that mix of excitement and fear before the children in your life started kindergarten. I worried if my child would make friends and sit criss-cross applesauce - but I was not concerned she would start school far behind her little peers.  Afterall, I had been able to afford educational toys and expensive pre-schools.

Sadly, that is not the case for many families in our community. Boulder County has the highest kindergarten achievement gap between White and Latino students in Colorado at 50%.  For years this gap has existed and widened during the school years, undermining social and economic equity and prosperity for us all.

Is there a secret sauce to close the achievement gap?

By AMY BOUNDS | boundsa@dailycamera.com | Boulder Daily Camera

Excerpt from Amy Bounds' Daily Camera Article:
​
Latino parent leaders from Lafayette were concerned when they noticed their students more frequently coming home from school hungry.

“It’s a challenge for Latino students to go to school and have this food they don’t know,” Damary Yanes, who has two preschoolers, a third-grader and fifth-grader at Pioneer Elementary, said through a translator. “Our recipes aren’t included in the school menus.”

So the parents, part of ELPASO (Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes), approached Boulder Valley School District with their concerns last school year — and found district officials willing to listen.