Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

A 2011 grant from Nuestro Futuro has helped to expand Kindergarten Readiness Camps that equip parents to instill school skills for young children.

Josefina Jaimes first came to Mano a Mano in 2007 to attend a presentation on breast cancer. That day marked the start of a long partnership that has benefited both—and hundreds of families, too.

After the health seminar, Josefina enrolled in Mano a Mano's English language classes, which she still attends today. In November of 2008 Josefina brought her five-year-old son Alan to Early Learning Camp; his sister Valerie would follow in 2010.

That year Josefina applied to become a Mano a Mano Community Health Educator (Promotora de Salud). In her application, she revealed that she had trained as a civil engineer in Mexico before moving to Lake County. Josefina wrote, "I am interested in becoming a Community Health Educator because as a mother, I want to give my children the best quality of life possible, and as an individual I want to help my community."

Selected as a Promotora in May 2010, Josefina quickly gained recognition as the first to meet—and exceed—her annual goals. Energetic and dedicated, she was soon chosen to become a Kindergarten Readiness instructor. Her work as a health educator will help her provide more comprehensive services to immigrant parents.

As Mano a Mano's Kindergarten Readiness Program grows, staff are exploring ways to adapt the Promotora model to early childhood education. Josefina's dedication shows how community members can generate lasting change by equipping parents to become their children's best teachers, raising healthy families prepared for success.

Learn more about Nuestro Futuro, the Trust's affiliate that supports programs improving the quality of life of Latinos in metropolitan Chicago.