Politics & Government

Unique Program Helps Maryland Kids Teach Mom and Dad English

An intergenerational approach to a practical education.

By Zainab Mudallal
Capital News Service

Playing the role of the teacher is not a game of dress-up for 10-year-old Giselle Jimenez.

Her English is stronger than her mother’s, Maricela Cabrera, 35, who often needs Giselle’s guidance on homework assigned in a family literacy class they are taking together.

Cabrera and Giselle are teaming up to learn English in a course offered by the Literacy Council of Montgomery County, a novel, intergenerational approach to helping adults with low levels of literacy learn English, by making their children the teachers.

Find out what's happening in Rockvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

U.S. Department of Education estimates show that 11 percent of Maryland adults aged 16 or older lack basic prose literacy skills — the ability to read and answer questions about readings. With a lack of funding in adult education making it difficult to address the problem, groups like the Literacy Council are filling the gaps left by schools.

“I help [my mom] practice reading, help her with homework and help her write and pronounce English words she doesn’t know,” said Giselle, as she spelled out her name with magnetic letters on a whiteboard at Brookhaven Elementary in Aspen Hill last week. Her mother was upstairs learning how to compare food prices and read English recipes.

Find out what's happening in Rockvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Family Literacy program began last year at schools across Montgomery County. These once a week classes encourage parents and children to work together to improve literacy skills. The program seeks to teach adults the English they need on a day-to-day basis, whether learning how to read a report card or how to make budgets.

“They need to be able to function in society and be a bigger part of their community and their children’s education,” said Jayne Klein, program director of the Family Literacy program.

Literacy experts said intergenerational learning benefits adults and their children.

“If you have both of them learning together there’s mutual motivation,” said Thomas Sticht, international consultant on adult education. “The child is motivated when they see mommy or daddy doing it.”

In Maryland, 7.4 percent of adults 25 or older lack high school diplomas, according to the U.S. Census. Adults with low levels of literacy tend to have higher unemployment rates and lower wages.

In the United States, 1 in 6 adults have low literacy and low fundamental math skills, a higher rate than most developed countries.

The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulationprovide grants to community colleges, public library systems and groups like the Literacy Council to help provide adult education across the state. But they are struggling to cater to all adults who need help.

But that doesn’t stop parents like Cabrera, who works as a housekeeper, from trying.

“I want to talk more with my boss and use more English words at work and at school,” she said in her native tongue, Spanish.

Literacy Council co-teacher Wendy Samee and senior teacher Lynn Balabanis said Cabrera and her classmates at Brookhaven Elementary have improved significantly. But Klein said they are also guiding the students to other resources once the class ends.

“We look at it as a springboard program,” Klein said. “We hope they become confident enough to access other programs in Montgomery County to keep on growing.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here