Empowering Children Through Literacy

I am deeply honored that Scholastic has invited me to join this innovative project, and am excited about the prospect of exchanging ideas among parents, educators and others who share a deep passion and concern for empowering children through education. As CEO of Para Los Niños, I represent an organization committed to lifting all children, regardless of race or ethnicity, out of poverty. But, we can’t ignore the statistics we read or the facts that surround us, all of which point to an urgent need to focus greater efforts on helping Latino children achieve literacy. It is a fact that Hispanic children represent slightly more than 20 percent of all children under age five in the United States and yet, only 14 percent of Latino fourth-graders and nine percent of eighth-graders can read at or above basic or advanced skill levels. As the fastest growing demographic segment of the US economy, literacy among Latino children has moved well beyond the responsibility of one specific culture. The challenge of better educating Latino children is an opportunity, if not an obligation, for anyone interested in creating better, safer, more stabilized communities.

It has been stated by those who research both the causes and effects of poverty that the success of a child is determined by three primary factors: the choices made by society and the government regarding the opportunities available to children and their parents, the choices made by parents regarding the resources to which their children have access and, the choices children make given the opportunities made available to them.

I am a passionate believer in the power of individual choice, but know only too well the great numbers of children who are denied the right to early childhood education because their parents are isolated by poverty and overwhelmed by the challenges of day-to-day living; essentially rendered unable to choose. Our failure to provide access to early education and the inability, or unwillingness, of parents to embrace these opportunities opens the door wide to gang violence, poverty, oppression and despair.

Opinion polls show that Latinos understand literacy and education are the gateways by which they can move beyond the darkness of poverty and into the light of success. The truth of this statement bears evidence every day at Para Los Niños, where even those individuals who are the most deeply affected by the affects of urban poverty can, or can learn how to, engage in their child’s education. And, because we have seen it proven amidst the worst imaginable living conditions on LA’s Skid Row, we know that achieving literacy early is one of the only truly meaningful equalizers of success in today’s society.

Through this blog I hope to exchange ideas on many levels and with many voices. As a Hispanic woman who rose through poverty, I understand the challenges faced by those who are trying to do the same. As a former teacher and the leader of teachers working in schools in the poorest of communities, I know both the frustrations and aspirations of this job. As the CEO of a non-profit dedicated to early education and development, I engage often in matters of social policy and the cross collaboration among non-profit and government agencies, and see first-hand the opportunities and the complexities of these efforts. Finally, as a parent, I know only too well the unparalleled desire to see a child achieve her truest potential, and the despair associated with the sometimes arbitrary nature of circumstance.

In the weeks to come, I hope we can begin a conversation that leads us in a forward looking direction against our common goal: the exploration of the challenges to achieving Latino literacy, the sharing of practices that work, the importance of family, the role of culture and the hope afforded to children everywhere through education and literacy.

Until then, I invite you to share your stories, to post comments and to make recommendations about topics for future blogs.

Gisselle Acevedo
President and CEO
Para Los Niños