This community is taking school to the children's apartment building to help them prepare for school. In the long run, it helps the whole system. DP
By Rachel Tuinstra, Seattle Times Eastside bureau
seattletimes.nwsource.com: Principal Jeff DeGallier could see he had a challenging situation months ago.
John Muir Elementary in Kirkland is home to a diverse population. Nineteen percent of the students are Hmong, many of them recent immigrants from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries.
Many of the Hmong children started school unfamiliar with a classroom setting, knowing very little English and lacking basic literacy skills. They struggled to catch up with classmates, even after going through several grades.
DeGallier had to do something. Fast forward to today.
A dozen Hmong preschoolers surround Sau Lai Chan as she sings "The Wheels on the Bus."
The children sing and hum along, stumbling through the unfamiliar words but catching on to the musical tempo. When they get restless, Chan cajoles them with an oversized book full of pictures of clowns and acrobats.
Once a week, the community recreation room at Kirkland Heights Apartments is transformed into a preschool, with books, colorful Legos and worksheets with traceable letters and numbers.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.
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