Photo by Michael J. GallegosTribune

Tribune

Mercedes Sandoval holds the hand of her daughter, Iliana, 3, as they wait after school at Dolores Gonzales Elementary for her son, Sebastian, 9. Sandoval is active in the school and one of the few English speakers in the Family Literacy Program, which was designed by the University of New Mexico College of Education as an outreach to Spanish-speaking parents.

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They came in from the South Valley cold, bundled up and hungry for more than the food waiting for them in bulging brown sacks.

Only two parents showed up at first until word spread that immigrant families also could learn at their children's neighborhood school.

Now, a year later, 18 families at Dolores Gonzales Elementary School, 900 Atlantic St. S.W., are being coached after school by University of New Mexico educators and classroom teachers on ways to help their children become better readers and succeed in school.

"We share stories and we share ideas," said teacher Theresa Sandoval. "These parents go home and get excited about what we taught them to do with their kids."

The Family Literacy Program was designed by the UNM College of Education as an outreach to Spanish-speaking parents. To date, 38 families have participated.

Dolores Gonzales PTA President Mercedes Sandoval, one of a handful of English speakers in the program, said her father is from Mexico and that she's learning more about her culture.

"I'm also learning new techniques and skills I can take home," she said.

Those skills include teaching the parts of the book - spine, cover, title page - and how to predict what will happen from the pictures.

She doesn't sit down and read a book quickly with her two children anymore. They talk about the similarities and differences on each page, note whether the words are on the left or right, notice colors and shapes and the action in the illustrations.

"We notice more details," she said. "We spend an hour on one book and then they'll bring me another. They never say, `Let's hurry up.' "

The time and effort appear to be paying off, she said. "I see a difference in my son, the way he's reading."

Her son, Sebastian, 6, seems to be an inspiration to his younger sister, Iliana. "She sits there and reads, too. And she's only 3," Sandoval said.

Each week, each family picks up a new book - most are in English and Spanish - and tips on how to make reading fun. The groceries are still plentiful at the end of the Thursday evening session.

"We thought we needed a hook to get them to come in," said Shirley Williams, a Dolores Gonzales staff member, as she lifted a bag of bananas, cauliflower, mixed greens, bread, chips, green onions and broccoli.

The mom who accepted the food from Williams smiled, then whispered, "You don't know how much I needed this bag of groceries."

During the day, Williams teaches English and parenting classes to Dolores Gonzales parents. Her parent room becomes the grocery store on Thursdays, with food from the Roadrunner Food Bank.

Hats and gloves were also donated at the last session in December after a celebration with Mexican dancing and, of course, reading. The children took turns reading aloud about the Mexican Revolution between dances.

"Now they look forward to the book as much as the food," Williams said of the parents.

"We're fighting hunger and feeding hope here."