imagine wanting to tell the doctor about yourchild's health needs, but not having the words. imagine waiting all day for another familymember to come home so you could go to the store for groceries. imagine wanting to give yourchild a better life and not knowing how to do that in the new complex culture of lifein the united states. when i accepted the position of director of the family literacyprogram of alameda i had no idea what i was getting into. the program existed on paperand targeted emigrants from the local community. my job was to make it a reality. i wonderedwhat a white lady like me who grew up in a small steel town in western pennsylvania hadin common with families of different backgrounds from all around the globe. i could not imaginethe challenges of their lives. i could not
imagine the loneliness of being in a strangenew country. i could not imagine what it would take to build this program. i discovered thatit would take the families, families from many countries, cultures and languages. theycame in search of english and a school for their young children. they found a communitythat reminds them of how they felt in their
homeland. they found teachers who are interestedin their cultures and their customs. they found teachers who share helpful ideas ontheir child's growth and their development. they built relationships of trust with otherswho share common experiences even though they are from many diverse countries and cultures.they found a new family. imagine the possibilities.
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