LYNN — The Latina Center Maria will begin offering English as a second language classes for parents next month at the Demakes Family YMCA.
Magalie Torres-Rowe, executive director of the Center, and YMCA Senior Branch Executive Director Andrea Baez collaborated on the initiative, which they say will provide parents with the tools to help their children succeed in school.
“Parents who can talk to their children’s teachers are more aware of what’s going on with their kids,” Torres-Rowe said. “I call my students’ parents all the time and I tell the kids that I am on the same team with their mom. We want you to succeed, not just in class, but in life.”
Torres-Rowe said that, for children, learning begins at home — with teachers communicating with parents and parents helping their kids with homework and reading.
Torres-Rowe, a native of Peru, teaches English as a second language (ESL) classes at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute as part of a Community Enrichment Program provided through a partnership between the Lynn Public Schools and New Lynn Coalition. She also spent time teaching Spanish at Boston College and the University of New Hampshire.
Torres-Rowe said the ESL program aligns with the mission of the Lynn-based Latina Center Maria, which strives to empower Latina women with no or limited English-language fluency through education and entrepreneurship, both in the United States and Latin America.
Torres-Rowe and Baez began discussing the possibility of a partnership during Stop the Violence board meetings — both are members — and decided that offering ESL classes for parents would be a great way to meet a need in the community.
“We want to assist in meeting community needs, and this program does just that,” Baez said. “Being able to provide a community space for people to learn and grow is exactly what the Demakes Y campus wants to assist with.”
The ESL classes will be offered on Fridays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. The classes will be limited to 15 people to ensure social distancing.
Torres-Rowe is volunteering her time to teach the classes, and said child care will be provided at the YMCA’s daycare center for the Friday sessions. The cost of child care is still under discussion, but is expected to be offered at a rate of $60 for 12 hours.
Torres-Rowe said her approach to the ESL classes will focus on teaching English in Spanish, which she said will be the most beneficial to the parents.
In her experience, Torres-Rowe said some kids think that their teachers won’t share how they are doing in school because their parents don’t speak English. Torres-Rowe wants to overcome that barrier by offering a space for parents to learn English.
The Maria program celebrated its five-year anniversary at the beginning of May and acknowledged a list of accomplishments, including creating partnerships with more than 25 colleges and universities as part of its resource network. The program has also provided eight $500 scholarships and 10 $100 scholarships to mothers to help them further their education.
The Marias contributed to their work in education by organizing the “Summer Institute for Education, Business & Entrepreneurship,” which was taught completely in Spanish, at the University of Massachusetts – Boston in 2018 and 2019. More than 300 women from all over the United States, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and the Dominican Republic were in attendance.
The work delivered by the Marias was supported by a $2,500 grant from the Lynn Cultural Council, two $4,500 grants from the Sisters of San Jose congregation, and volunteers.
Any parents interested in participating in the ESL program can email Torres-Rowe at [email protected].
