Chippewa Valley 5ive for Women The Chippewa Valley’s Premier Magazine for Women!
By Taylor Schaa
I moved from Laos to the United States in 2004. My husband had been here for a few years prior, and finally I was able to join him in Tennessee. It was very difficult to live and take care of my four small children because there was no help. I didn’t understand how to live in a new country, how things worked, and the pace of life. There were no classes or ways to learn English. I felt very alone.
When we moved to Eau Claire in 2009, I felt relieved. My family finally found the help we needed. We had friends here who told us about the Family Literacy program and that there were people here to help us learn English. I have been attending classes at Family Literacy for three years and my tutor’s name is Eileen. We work together on Monday mornings. She is really nice. My two youngest sons, Chalee and Prince, came with me to classes when they were little. I have moved from the beginner English class to the intermediate, and next year I will be in the advanced class. My children’s English is very good!
I took the childcare class at Family Literacy and the food safety class. My husband serves on the Head Start board, and I helped in my children’s Head Start classroom last year. Family Literacy helped me take and study for the US citizenship test, and I passed and became a citizen on March 28, 2013!
-Khamla, Wife, Mother, Family Literacy Student, and US Citizen
Khamla’s story is one of many student success stories from the Eau Claire Family Literacy program. With over 25 years in our community, Literacy Volunteers Chippewa Valley offers several programs, including the Family Literacy program. Each year, Family Literacy serves parents and their young children offering English, GED preparation and attainment, job skills, citizenship classes, and literacy training to adults with young children (aged infant to three years). Trained teachers lead classes in a structured environment at Christ Church Cathedral. Students attend voluntarily and are self-motivated—the classrooms are always full! Key to the Family Literacy program are the on-site infant and toddler classrooms, which are staffed by trained early childhood education teachers. Since nearly 98% of Family Literacy families live in poverty, in most cases, parent enrollment would not be possible without onsite early childhood education for their young children.
In 2012, Family Literacy took a funding hit. The infant and toddler rooms were no longer available to families working on their skills. Christ Church members watched as the program dwindled and decided they must do something to keep the program going. Enter Faith Partners for Literacy. The passionate group of community members found a grant through the episcopal Jessie Ball duPont Foundation, enabling reinstatement of Family Literacy’s onsite early childhood education classrooms in March 2013.
In the Chippewa Valley, nearly one in ten adults struggles with low literacy. So, Faith Partners for Literacy raises awareness about the need for literacy services in our community, while seeking community support and sustainability. $30,000 needs to be raised by December 2013. Consider this: Researchers have found that for every $1 invested in literacy in Eau Claire, $33 is returned and saved in future costs (AT Kearny Corporation literacy study).
As a result of Khamla’s success, she has spread the word by making presentations to church and community groups. Supporting mothers like Khamla means empowering generations through literacy and education. Faith Partners for Literacy is Eau Claire’s avenue for continuing to ensure the literacy education needs of local families. Become a Partner today. Each gift is tax deductible and will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the founding partner. Please sponsor a young child or parent through www.faithpartners.us.
