A Parent From Alpha Parent Learning Center Reports On Her Need for Alpha School’s Alpha Family Emergency Fund

By Yoleida, as told to Alejandro Espinoza, Alpha Parent Learning Center Lead

ACE Note: The Alpha Parent Learning Center (an ACE Learning Center) is about supporting the parent(s) of any Alpha School’s student. When the coronavirus shelter-at-home order closed schools, the Alpha Parent Learning Center’s focus continued to be on helping parents, just in a different way. Many families saw their incomes plummet or vanish, and Alpha created the Alpha Family Emergency Fund to assist  families. Money for food, rent and other needed expenses was offered to each family. ACE donated to the fund as our mission of assisting with learning appropriately changed to assisting our friends and partners at the ACE Learning Centers.

The ACE Spectrum Blog will focus on telling several parent’s stories about how the Alpha Parent Learning Center is an important part of their – and their family’s – life. First up – Yoleida.

Report: Alpha Parent Learning Center

Hello, my name is Yoleida. I am the grandmother of Maria who attends Alpha Cindy Avita in grade 9. I have been attending the ACE Learning Center in Alpha since September 2019 and I’m involved in the areas of support groups and the food bank.

I wanted to attend the ACE Learning Center in Alpha because I really like helping families who need advice about what is happening at school, advice about their children, helping each other in important events such as fundraising, selling food, English workshops.

What I have learned from the center is that all the people who are in charge or in charge of the center are very kind and know how to find a way for everyone to be involved in such a way regardless of the circumstances. In the learning center, we call each other to find out how we are doing, and we also come up with ideas for events and on how to get families more involved. I feel like we are always in a family.

Like many of you, I am part of these efforts because my entire life has been impacted by the coronavirus. My ability to pay rent and bills has been completely limited. I work in the maintenance of buildings at night and because right now they are not working in companies due to social distancing, they only have limits on people who work, and they have not asked for our services. As a consequence of this, since March, we have had no income entering the house. I also do not benefit from unemployment, nor the stimulus check from the government because of my immigration status.

But thanks to the help Alpha Family Emergency Fund, I was able to pay my rent and was able to buy a little food for my children and granddaughter at home. Alpha school was also providing Wi-Fi access point but I didn’t need it because I already had internet in my house, but it has helped my granddaughter a lot in her studies. She was able to concentrate more and, although we were in shelter-in-place, her mom and everyone at home have also been able to help her finish her assignments.

What I like most about the Center is that we can all get along well and can give advice and support without having to feel bad.


Informe en español: Alpha Parent Learning Center

Hola mi nombre es Yoleida. Soy la abuela de Maria que asiste al Alpha Cindy Avita en el grado 9. Estoy asistiendo al Centro de Aprendizaje ACE en Alpha desde Septiembre 2019 y en las areas que me involucrado mas es grupos de apoyos y en el banco de comida.

Yo queria asistir al Centro de Aprendizaje ACE en Alpha porque me gusta mucho ayudar a las familias que necesitan consejos sobre lo que pasa en la escuela, consejos sobre sus hijos, ayudarnos el uno para el otro en eventos importantes como recaudar fondos, vender comida, talleres de ingles.

Yo lo que he aprendido del centro es que todas las personas que estan encargardas o encargados del centro son muy ambles y saben buscar la manera de que todos estemos involucrado de tal manera sin importar las circunstancias. Nos llamamos para saber como estamos y tambien creamos ideas de manera que podamos hacer para hacer un evento para que otras familias participen tambien.

Me siento como si estuvieramos en familia siempre. Bueno como muchas de ustedes, soy parte de estos esfuerzos porque mi vida completa a sido impactada por el coronavirus. Mi habilidad de pagar renta y biles, han sido completamente limitada. Trabajo en el mantenimiento de edificios de noche y porque ahorita no se esta trabajando en las compañias por el distanciamiento social no mas tienen limites de personas que trabajan, y no han pedido nuestros servicios. Como consequencia de esto, no habia tenido ningun ingreso entrando a la casa. Tambien no me benificio del desempleo, ni el cheque de estimulo del gobierno por mi estatus inmigratorio.

Pero gracias con la ayuda con los fondos de asistencia especial del Fondo de Emergencia para Familia Alpha he podido pagar mi renta y podia comprar poquita comida para mis hijos y nieta en la casa. La escuela Alpha estaba tambien dando punto de acceso WI-Fi pero no lo necesitaba porque ya tenia internet en mi casa pero le ha ayudado mucho a mi nieta en sus estudios, se podido concentrar mas y aunque estuvimos en toque de queda su mami de ella y todos en casa hemos podido ayudarla tambien para que pudiera terminar sus asignaciones.

Lo que mas me gusta del Centro es que todos nos podamos llevar bien y podamos dar consejos y apoyos sin tener que sentirse uno mal.