A Waco organization is aiming to help Hispanic families support their children’s early education.
WACO, Texas — In Waco, a local nonprofit is quietly changing lives, not just for children, but for entire families. What started as a response to a community need has grown into a lifeline for dozens of Latino families.
At Kendrick Elementary School in Waco, you’ll find a classroom that looks like any other. But here at Inspiración Waco, the learning isn’t just for kids; it’s for their parents, too.
“Inspiración is a dual-generation program where we serve both the parent and the child,” Inspiración Waco program coordinator Eloisa Cruz-Arredondo said. “In the parenting class, we will touch on three curricula. So, we’ll teach conscious discipline, we’ll teach more learning through United Way and then we’ll teach CLI Engage. And these are curricula that are teaching the parents how to get involved from the very beginning.”
In 2018, there was no program offering these services to Hispanic families. Cruz-Arredondo says she felt the need to step up and help families like hers who didn’t have the resources to be involved in her early childhood education.
“Not necessarily just being involved in their children’s education, but really empowering them that they can also do something,” Cruz-Arredondo said. “A lot of the time, we focus on the language, or you know, ‘I’m too old’ or whatever the case may be, but I think really letting them know that it’s never too late to start something. It’s never too late to pick up the language. Then their kids will automatically say, ‘My mom did it when she was 30, 40, so I can do it.'”
From educational tools to parenting strategies, even home visits, Inspiración Waco supports the whole family. It also creates something just as important: community.
“They’re experiencing a school system for the very first time, or they just moved here and they don’t have any family,” Cruz-Arredondo said. “So, coming to a program such as Inspiración, they really get to connect with other parents. They really get to hear the struggles that other parents are going through, and so then they realize ‘I’m not the only one facing these issues.'”
When it’s time to head to “big school,” these little learners and their parents are ready.
“They call Inspiración the ‘little school,'” Cruz-Arredondo said. “So when they enter, you know, another elementary in the district, it’s their ‘big school,’ and they’re ready and they’re proud to go. But it’s mom crying because they’re so proud and they can’t believe that little Junior walked in without any problems, and so that’s really our main purpose is to really get them prepared and not just the child but the parents.”
Inspiración Waco is currently serving 75 families, and the program is completely free. To keep it going, they’re hosting their annual fundraiser on Nov. 6 at the Freight Bar in Waco. To learn more about Inspiración Waco or to donate, click here.
