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According to EOPA’s latest required filings, the agency received
$13 million in federal funding to administer Head Start programs
at a number of Toledo locations. There are 2,043 preschool age
children enrolled in the program. 118 of those kids are from
Spanish-speaking families. That figure represents nearly six
percent of all children served by Head Start and does not
include other Latino children enrolled in the preschool program
whose families speak English.
That presents an extra challenge to the six bilingual staff at
EOPA, according to social services manager Celeste Taylor,
who is from the Dominican Republic. Other staff members come
from different Latin American backgrounds: México, Perú, and
Colombia among them.
“So we display more of the true flavor of what the Latino
population here in Toledo really is,” said Ms. Taylor, who grew
up in New York City. “We have a lot of Cuban children, Colombian
children, not just Mexican-American. So we are diverse, even
within the Hispanic population.”
Two of the Latino employees work directly with Head Start, while
the other three workers are involved with other EOPA programs.
However, all six employees are called on regularly when needed
to provide bilingual services to immigrant families when there
is a language barrier.
“We want to make sure we have a presence in most of the programs
EOPA services, so no matter what, Spanish-speakers can be
served,” explained Ms. Taylor. “Spanish-speaking families take
more time to deal with and they need more services. We just
cannot refer them anywhere, because if we refer them, we have to
make the phone call and go with them. That’s why it’s important
someone from our agency can speak the language.”
Her job is to link the Head Start families with other support
services, providing a holistic approach to a child’s education,
development, and well-being.
“We recruit the children, we enroll them, we place them in the
classroom, and provide any type of supportive services to ensure
there are no obstacles to a child coming to class,” she said.
However, most of the agencies Ms. Taylor works with in the
community have staff which only speak English, forcing EOPA’s
workers to go the extra mile to provide translation services for
immigrant families at appointments elsewhere.
“Much of the time, once a parent gets to know us, they only want
to deal with us,” said Ms. Taylor. “They know we know their
circumstances, we’re not going to ask too many questions. So you
cannot say, ‘just go call United Way, they’re going to help
you.’”
Element of Trust
Much of the dilemma involves an issue of trust on the part of
immigrant parents who have come to a strange community. Ms.
Taylor explained that Latino Spanish-speaking moms stay at home
with their children while their husbands work, so they don’t
interact with neighbors or the community-at-large. They then
rely on the bond established with EOPA workers to help them
provide for their children.
“Most of them are here without family. Many of them stay after
the migrant season,” explained Ms. Taylor. “It provides a
different dynamic.”
She admitted some of the Latina EOPA employees can feel
overwhelmed by such a need, because they essentially are on call
24/7 for emergencies with migrant or immigrant families.
“We also recruit volunteers who sometimes help us from the
university,” said Ms. Taylor. “We get a lot of workers who like
to come in and volunteer their time, particularly when it’s time
for parent-teacher conferences. We have to translate everything.
Under the law, we must provide everything, all the information
in their native language.”
For example, developmental screenings to ensure the child is
progressing in an age-appropriate way are handled in Spanish.
Ms. Taylor called it “a massive undertaking.” All applications
are translated into Spanish as well.
The EOPA social services manager described one instance where a
Spanish-speaking parent was involved in a car accident, so she
wasn’t home when the child arrived via bus from Head Start. She
ended up keeping the child until the parent could be located,
because of the language barrier. But she also admitted the
working is rewarding nonetheless.
“To see a child who comes to us in September unable to speak
English at all and then by the end of the year, they don’t even
want to speak Spanish anymore,” said Ms. Taylor. “We get calls
from parents even after the child has graduated (Head Start),
and all of a sudden the mom’s talking to them in Spanish and
they return in English. They say, ‘Can you tell me what he’s
saying? He doesn’t want to speak the language?’”
That, in turn, forces the parents to eventually become
bilingual, to, in order to converse with their child and
assimilate into the community.
“The only thing is, they’re segregated,” Ms. Taylor said. “They
don’t know the language, they don’t drive, because the men are
out working. It takes the mom longer to get acclimated to how
things are here.”
Ms. Ramos teaches Spanish in a daycare program also offered at
EOPA, so many preschool-age children are learning a second
language. That also encourages Spanish-speaking children to
socialize with other kids their own age. But Ms. Taylor stated
it is up to the public schools to continue Spanish language
classes once children reach kindergarten and beyond.
Acclimation Process
The acclimation process becomes more complete once parents learn
English through ESOL programs and access other services within
the community, such as Advocates for Basic Legal Equality
(ABLE), El Centro de la Mujer, and Adelante, Inc.
“We also hold parent meetings and invite all the agencies so
they can be introduced to those agencies,” said Ms. Taylor.
“We want them to feel comfortable. We want them to feel secure.
As a family, we want them to progress, because it was done for
us. Most of us came here with parents who also didn’t speak the
language. It was through our teachers that we became fluent,
because our parents couldn’t help us with our schoolwork at the
house. We are trying to pay it forward. Somebody did it for me.
I was able to educate myself in this country and I want others
to be able to do the same.”
Ms. Taylor explained she grew up among other Latino families in
New York City in an area she called “Little Dominican.” But she
admitted Toledo’s immigrant families are more isolated, because
families are scattered throughout the community and don’t have
that benefit.
“This is really different. It’s not California or New York,” she
said. “You have to find one another, so they tend to stay alone,
on their own. They don’t mingle with anybody because they’re
afraid. We have to assist them in any way we can if they choose
to stay here and become productive citizens.”
But the concern for the families is once the children leave Head
Start, the parents are on their own. Ms. Taylor questioned
whether Toledo Public Schools and other districts have the same
Spanish-language resources and whether information is sent home
in English. Such a lack can present a hardship for an immigrant
family down the road.
“Now all of a sudden they’re calling you, because they happened
to send their child to school and the baby has come back and
they don’t know to look at TV to see if school is closed because
of snow,” she cited as one example. ”It may sound minute, but if
you don’t know, you just sent your baby out in the cold.”
But Ms. Taylor is not concerned about the future of Head Start
locally, now that EOPA will have to compete for federal funding.
She believes established programs like her agency has will give
them a competitive advantage, because staff members already know
the reporting requirements and other factors involved, as
opposed to a new non-profit agency.
“It’s unfortunate that they now believe they have to put us in a
competition, but I have no doubt and no fear that this isn’t one
of the best programs here and I don’t think anyone can compete
with such a major, diverse program,” she said with confidence.
The federal Dept. of Health and Human Services, which oversees
Head Start, announced new regulations in November which are
aimed at better accountability. The agency stated last month
that EOPA is among 132 providers nationwide which will be forced
to compete to keep their Head Start grants. Head Start providers
in Columbus, Detroit, and Monroe County, Michigan also are on
the competition list. It is unclear whether TPS or larger local
non-profits such as the Urban League of Greater Toledo or YMCA-JCC
will compete for future funding.
“We provide a lot of services. We are mandated to provide a
medical staff, a disability staff, a social service staff, a
nutrition staff. There are several components that make us
up—it’s not just one thing to have a program. Nobody can do it
as well as us, because we know the performance standards
required. I just believe this is a way for us to become better.”
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