The Start of Family Learning

Photo by August de Richelieu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-helping-her-daughter-use-a-laptop-4260325/

Here at the PVLA, we are always looking for ways to better serve our students and the community at large. As you may know, we work in partnership with Central Community College Adult Education to ensure that we have the necessary resources to reach more individuals within the community and provide them with what they need to be successful.

When I first came on as the executive director, I asked the Adult Education coordinator what are some ways the PVLA and CCC could better serve the community. Her answer was that she wanted to start a Family Learning class.

What Is Family Learning?

One of the things that we noticed is that many of the non-English-speaking individuals in the area don’t feel like members of the community or that they can be fully engaged with their children’s education or other activities because they don’t understand what’s going on.

We wanted to change that.

We wanted to offer a way for individuals to learn the English language and be involved with their child’s education—and that’s where Family Learning comes into play.

By implementing Family Learning in Columbus, our hope is to equip adults with the necessary skills to be involved with their children in every aspect of their life with confidence. Making parents accountable to themselves and their children gives them the incentive and desire to gain new knowledge to be successful in life.

Not only does classroom instruction help with knowledge gain, but by having parents involved, this also promotes academic achievement and builds stronger relationships. When parents have a better understanding of what their children are learning, they can be supportive and encouraging—and this can motivate parents to pursue their dreams as well.

Family success starts at the top, and providing adults with the skills and knowledge they need to apply for and obtain better paying jobs is essential. Giving them the confidence to be involved with their child’s education and activities and as members of the community is mutually beneficial. Once parents and caregivers have a stable foundation, they can then offer support and guidance to their families.

What Does Family Learning Look Like?

The adult students attend a total of 6 hours of classes per week, two days per week. Forty-five minutes to one hour of that time is spent with their child in the classroom, then they go to their own ESL class.

We have partnered with a local elementary school that offers an ELL program, and they allow parents into their child’s classroom and provide a space for the adults to attend their own ESL classes.

What Are the Hopes for the Program?

We can’t tell you how incredibly excited we are about starting the Family Learning program. Not only do we want our students to be successful while learning the English language, but we also want them to feel like valuable members of the community.

To be able to attend this class, you have to be invited. If you'd like more information, please reach out and ask!  

We may be starting out small, but the hope is that we can grow and expand the program to impact as many individuals and their families as possible. The PVLA’s mission is to empower students to reach their education goals, and Family Learning is another opportunity for them to do that.