This Literacy Center is helping parents learn English and also learn to help their children do better in school. The teacher in this Center received the 2009 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award. There is a very long waiting list of families trying to join the classes. - - Donna Poisl
BY CHRISTINA VEIGA
She likes to think of it as the ``Little Havana Country Club.''
But with a waiting list of more than 135 families, supervisor Maria Piñón only wishes the All-Aboard Family Literacy Center in Miami was big enough to accommodate all those who want to be a part.
For five years, the center at 145 SW 11th Ave., has served as a gathering place to celebrate birthdays, mourn deaths -- and most importantly, learn. The center teaches parenting skills and literacy for families with children up to age 7 in the Riverside Elementary area in Little Havana. The program provides parents with the academic foundation that will lead to self-sufficiency while ensuring their children acquire the skills needed at their grade level.
''Many are new immigrants, so they find here a family,'' Piñón said.
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This country was built by immigrants, it will continue to attract and need immigrants. Some people think there are enough people here now -- people have been saying this since the 1700s and it still is not true. They are needed to make up for our aging population and low birthrate. Immigrants often are entrepreneurs, creating jobs. We must help them become Americans and not just people who live here and think of themselves as visitors. When immigrants succeed here, the whole country benefits.
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