The ELPASO Solution
Through parent focus groups in Boulder, Lafayette, and Longmont, we grasped two important concepts. First, we realized that parents are on the front line, holding the key to ensuring their children are ready for kindergarten. Second, we saw that parents were perhaps the only stakeholders who could make sure community leaders funded relevant interventions.
After four years of working in the community, ELPASO has been able to reach more than 1,900 families, many of which have benefited from our services. Our four School Readiness Coordinators present parents with facts about childhood development and the achievement gap in Boulder County through family visits. This process allows parents to reprioritize their support for their child’s education.
During these visits, coordinators also recruit parents with leadership potential to attend the ELPASO parent leadership program, which has helped parents to gain the tools necessary to be agents of change in their communities. More than 50 parents participated in the parent leadership program during our first two years, receiving skills, knowledge, and critical information about the importance of early childhood education. These parents immediately put their skills to use by sharing information learned in the classroom with other community members, during more than 250 house meetings, or “cafecitos”.
More than 40 leaders are participating with a goal that each parent host six cafecitos. These cafecitos have the potential to transform student outcomes by creating hundreds of additional engaged Latino parents of 0-5 year olds in Boulder County.
After four years of working in the community, ELPASO has been able to reach more than 1,900 families, many of which have benefited from our services. Our four School Readiness Coordinators present parents with facts about childhood development and the achievement gap in Boulder County through family visits. This process allows parents to reprioritize their support for their child’s education.
During these visits, coordinators also recruit parents with leadership potential to attend the ELPASO parent leadership program, which has helped parents to gain the tools necessary to be agents of change in their communities. More than 50 parents participated in the parent leadership program during our first two years, receiving skills, knowledge, and critical information about the importance of early childhood education. These parents immediately put their skills to use by sharing information learned in the classroom with other community members, during more than 250 house meetings, or “cafecitos”.
More than 40 leaders are participating with a goal that each parent host six cafecitos. These cafecitos have the potential to transform student outcomes by creating hundreds of additional engaged Latino parents of 0-5 year olds in Boulder County.