Photo Álvaro Ortiz/Washington Hispanic.

The teacher Meghan Ferris dictates classes of English every day to Latin family mothers in Family Place.

Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

Family Place is a familiar center that serves to the community of scarce resources for 28 years and takes as a mission to help Latin mothers with small children in his adaptation process in the cardinal city. Every morning, from eight o'clock, the mothers parade with his children in arm, some taking more than one car to receive classes of English or computing, and others to obtain prenatal education or simply to ask for information on how obtain certain service with the calmness that while they learn his children are well attended by trained personnel.

Last year, Family Place served to 350 families of low resources across his multiple services. 98 per cent of persons who come to the center are of Hispanic origin and they find in Family Place the second hearth. Ruth Rivera came from El Salvador one year ago and religiously it comes to the center now only accompanied by his twins' couple of eight months, but some months ago his another two five and three-year-old children were accompanying it.

Photo Álvaro Ortiz/Washington Hispanic.

Ruth Rivera, every morning comes to the center to receive classes of English while they take care to him of his twins of eight months.

“ I touched the doors of several centers to learn English, but it could not go with my children. In this country it is necessary to learn the language, but at the same time it is very difficult if children are had because you do not have with whom to leave them or but they receive a lot of money for taking care of them”, it tells Washington Hispanic Ruth Rivera.

“ Here I feel as at home and the dealing is very good. If we need something they are always dependent on the way how they can help us. For the time being I am not working, but they are giving me the opportunity to learn the language”, adds missis Rivera.

Other services
With a limited budget for 616.000 dollars per year that comes from federal funds, from the District and from foundations, Family Place also offers classes of literacy for adults, serves every day breakfasts and lunches for the persons who come up to the center, and they deliver meal and emergency products, like nappies to needy mothers.

Of equal way it gives classes of prenatal for mothers-to-be and it is provided with a group of women who work against the domestic violence named “Triumphant women”.

A very important aspect in Family Place is that not only one takes care of the children from 0 to 5 years but also they receive preschool education, while his mothers receive his classes of English or computing.

“ More that a familiar center is the second hearth for the mothers' tens that come to Family Place. Here, they receive classes that allow him to develop his self-esteem and at the same time they receive consultancy on how the system works in the District of Columbia. This way, they are informed and can serve better to their own children and to their own families. I like to see how they progress and the Latin families go out forward”, showed the executive director of Family Place, Haley Wiggins.