The Family Center has helped many
THE STORY
The Family seeks to help families that do not have it
by Daniela Navarro
La Familia Family Center is in Northern Fort Collins to help low-income families. Each day is filled with different activities to help serve the community.
They have Child Care and Education, Adult Education Programs, Family Strengthening Services and The Kitchen (also known as La Cocina).
For Latinos, everyone knows that the kitchen is the place where everything happens. You talk and fight with the family, share stories, gossip about your days, and eat and drink a lot. In the kitchen is where life begins because it’s a place of comfort.
On La Familia’s website it states, "Cesar
Chavez said that, 'all revolutions start in La
Cocina ...' La Cocina invites you to cook a revolutionary change with us."
At La Familia, Child Care and Education programs have many activities that work to teach children how to be creative and thoughtful.
Photo by Daniela Navarro
La Familia functions as a safe place for people who feel that they do not have a place to go without being in fear, with all the programs offered almost everyone feels safe.
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Each day at the center is different because there so many programs offered. Many families invest in many different programs because they are very affordable.
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North of Fort Collins is the poorest part, and the part that has the most Latino families - many of which are undocumented. According to a BBC article, the children of these families have problems in school because of the language barrier.
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There are also visits to the families' homes if they want to fix or improve something within themselves. Parents as Teachers (or PAT) is a program for families that focuses on teaching parents how to be good teachers to their children, children ages 0 to 5. These visits occur once or twice each week.
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Because language is such a barrier the center has multitudes of English as Second Language classes (ESL). These classes work with adults so that they can learn English, especially because if someone wants to get their citizenship in the US, the exam is in English.
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One very important program for La Familia is the program by which they started their company; Child Care and Education.
Every day they start at 6 in the morning to care for the children of low-income families.
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"Each person has a program for themselves," Juliana Jenkins, the director of adult activities. "We are a safe place for families to know that they can reach a solution for what they need, because we are always available, especially for those who are undocumented."
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The faculty of La Familia works to make a difference in the lives of these people. They want to be available to help the undocumented and the poor because they know that there are few places where they can go and feel safe.