Trying to bring education home

Danette Goulet

COSTA MESA -- When 15-year-old Maritza Pinon has trouble with her

homework, she can’t turn to her parents for help.

She and her three siblings are the first in their family to attend school

in the United States. Her parents speak limited English and do not

understand the work their children bring home.

“There are times when we don’t understand,” Maritza said. “I usually call

friends or just wait until the teacher explains the next day.”

Maritza’s mother, Rosalia Pinon, agonizes over her inability to help her

children.

“They’re in three different schools and they bring to me homework that is

sometimes very hard levels,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “My

child at Newport Harbor High School brings to me projects -- I can never

help with them.”

Maritza, like many other children, said home visits from teachers would

help them earn better grades in school, and create a better relationship

between their parents and teachers.

Five schools in Costa Mesa have applied for a state grant program that

would provide each school with $25,000 for a teacher home visit program.

The Neil-Soto grant program is meant to aid the students academically,

but, more importantly, aims to improve relations between teachers and

parents.

Local leaders of a grass-roots community group, the Orange County

Congregation Community Organization, have been working with the district

to find a way to help struggling families like the Pinons.

When the group heard of the grant program, they urged all Newport-Mesa

Unified schools to apply.

“What we learned is that parents do not feel school is a friendly

environment for them to go to particularly,” said Alma Vergara, community

director of the organization. “So this would develop a working

relationship so that both forces can work together for the children.”

The grant money would fund training and pay stipends for those teachers

making the visits, Vergara said. Once the grant is awarded, a school and

community would develop a schedule for time and lengths of visitations.

In order to qualify for the grant, Vergara said, 50% of the students must

qualify for free or reduced lunches, and there must be a commitment from

at least 50% of the parents and teachers at the school to participate in

the program.

Principals at Whittier, Pomona, Rea and Wilson elementary schools, and

TeWinkle Middle School, submitted applications for the grant last month.

All anxiously await a decision, expected to be announced at the end of

May.

“With our high English language-learner population, this would be

extremely beneficial,” said Julie McCormick, principal of Pomona

Elementary. “This grant is an incentive to teachers to provide more

parent training. When you have a language barrier, this provides a way to

reach out to our parents.”