Inside some Florida classrooms, like the second grade class Cynthia Chavez teaches, a mix of English and Spanish can be heard while students navigate the complexities of learning a new language while studying the building blocks of K-12.
“There has been a growth of bilingual classrooms,” said Chavez.
‘English Language Learners’ or ELL’s have become one of the fastest growing student-populations in the United States, and the sunshine state is proof of that. Florida ranks third in the nation for the number of students entering K-12 while still learning the English language.
The expense of books and resources can weigh on schools and teachers, but there is a program working to close the gap for families and educators called Read Conmigo.
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“Spanish resources tend to be more expensive than English resources,” said Chavez. “And they tend to come from different countries.”
Chavez told NBC6 in the past, she and many of her colleagues have had to dig deep in their wallets to help purchase some of the supplies to ensure her students have a wide range of material to help them learn and feel confident in the classroom.
“I would save money during the summer, as much money as I could to be able to put it in my class room or use credit cards," said Chavez.
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Now thanks to the Kemper Foundation Grant ‘Read Conmigo,’ Chavez has a $3,000 boost to start the year off strong.
“I was shocked because at first I did not know that there were things like this for teachers,” said Chavez. “Because I have been teaching for about 4 or 5 years and I have always purchased out of pocket.”
The grant focuses on advancing bilingual literacy in Latino communities by helping teachers in dual-immersion classrooms build a more engaging and equitable environment to close learning gaps.
The bilingual literacy grant is for K-5 teachers in both Broward and Miami-Dade.
