AAFS ENGAGES PARENTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS

Arab American Family Services, in partnership with Burbank School District 111 are working together through the Parent Mentor Program.
Rosa G. Maddock and Luther Burbank School are participating in hopes to allow immigrant parents to serve as tutors for English Language Learners.
Each school that participates in the Parent Mentor Program pairs an Arabic speaking parent with a classroom teacher. The parent helps tutor students in reading and math to help them catch up to their English speaking classmates. This program does not require the parent to speak English.
Since the parent mentor program was implemented 2013, there has been an increase in academic achievement of the ELL students that needed more attention in reading or math.  Since the parent mentors worked one-on-one or in small groups, students performed better in their school work and felt more comfortable being in contact with an adult with similar background. Parent mentors were given an opportunity to get more involved with community organizing, fundraising, and planning school events. Many parent mentors have been able to incorporate what they learned in the classroom, to teaching their children education skills at home. Parent mentors also learned how their child’s school system works and networked with other parents, which created a sense of belonging and empowerment;