2018 - Empowering the Latino Immigrant Family as Partners in Education -What you Need to Know

Training Options Duration: 60 Minutes
Friday, September 7, 2018 | 10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
Overview: Empowering the immigrant parent as a partner in their children's education is
critical if we desire immigrant students to be successful and stride to a higher level of
academic achievement.
This workshop is designed to help professionals and paraprofessional in the task of
facilitating the engagement of immigrant families who may not be accustom to taking an active
role alongside teachers and administrators. It is also essential to understand that
parents/guardians absence from school activities does not mean a lack of interest but rather a
different perspective in their role as parents.
In this presentation you will learn these and many more areas of interest that will assist you
in moving forward with parent engagement. An initial step prior to engaging the parents is to
learn and understand your immigrant population. Understanding what they went through and what
their current stressors are will help you in being mindful when planning an activity.
Find out their experiences of coming to this country; who are the guardians, as some children
live with relatives other than their parents; what kind of community do they live in and how
the community can help in this endeavor; educational level of the parents/guardians will also
give you a better understanding of your population, etc. Another essential factor that will be
addressed is the importance of having an appreciation of the cultural differences when working
with Latino parents and to avoid assumptions that can alienate your immigrant parents.
What is "normal" for you may not be "normal" for them, how they communicate may be different
from the American style, linguistic abstraction should be avoided so as to not to cause
confusions and misunderstandings. These and other differences will be covered.
Another cultural factor to consider is the difference in the concept of "time." The concept of
"Latino time" where they tend to come late for everything must be interpreted not as a sign of
disrespect but rather as a cultural difference and how to consider this difference when
engaging Latino families. Having a healthy outlook regarding this will decrease your negative
perspective and help to figure out ways to get them to attend on time. The final section of the
webinar will address the "HOW" in terms of "how" to make them feel welcomed and what the school
can do with its physical environment, its written communication and how best to utilize
bilingual staff.
For example, a welcoming environment would include signs in different languages, a greeter who
speaks their native language, school brochures in their native language to name a few. These
and other changes can make a family feel that this school system is cognizant of their needs
and will help to reduce their anxiety of this unknown system and ease their transition into
this new role as partners in education.
Once the immigrant families are genuinely connected and comfortable with the school system,
another opportunity can be offered which is that of having them partake in decision-making with
regards to future parent activities, a Latino type "PTA" if you will. This is the ultimate goal
of engagement which is that of having families/guardians be true partners in their children's
education.
Why should you Attend: Have you tried to engage Latino immigrant parents to attend school
activities or parent teacher conferences to no avail? At times professionals and
paraprofessionals need to take a step back and recognize that we need to do things differently
when working with Latino parents then with Anglo parents.
Having a better cultural understanding of best practices may facilitate this important work.
With the numbers of Latino immigrant youth entering United States schools on a daily basis it
is imperative that we acquire the most up to date information on helping both youth and their
parents be an active and responsible partner in this endeavor. Only when there is a true
partnership does all the pieces fall into place for the success of the student.
As a one of the partners in this ever challenging goal, you must be equipped with knowledge of
the strengths and cultural background of immigrant families. You will gain better insight into
their family dynamics, cultural differences and cultural assumptions so as to avoid pitfalls
that may derail your parent activity.
In this way, you are better prepared to use this knowledge base to engage them to connect and
partake of the school system. This workshop will provide the missing link and vital cultural
information to make your next parent teacher conference or parent activity more successful.
Areas Covered in the Session:
The importance of learning about your immigrant population
Cultural factors to consider when engaging immigrant families
What can be done to make them feel welcomed and partake of the educational system
Who Will Benefit:
Social Workers
Psychologist
Mental Health Workers
Guidance Counselors
Case Managers and universities students in the behavioral health field of study.Those working
in the area of Immigration Advocacy
Speaker Profile
Vilma E. Matos is a clinical bilingual social worker with over 35 years of experience working
with the Latino community. In the past 20 years she has been providing individual, group and
family interventions for Latino immigrant youth. She has presented on this topic to school
districts, mental health clinics and at conferences on best practices when interfacing with
this population. Her dedication goes one step farther as she has designed a board game uniquely
suited for Latino immigrants. My Journey to the United States - Mis Pasos a los Estados Unidos
Board Game© has been used by social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors and mental
health workers throughout the United states as a facilitating tool to help these youth open up
about their past and present experiences. Once trust is established, significant interventions
and healing can begin.
Ms. Matos is also Vice President of the National Association of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Social
Workers and currently works part-time as a bilingual therapist, school social worker,
consultant and presenter all in the area of Latino immigrants.
Price - $139
Contact Info:
Netzealous LLC - MentorHealth
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Website: http://www.mentorhealth.com/
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