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Pilot program addresses Hispanic child-care needs By Vicki Guarino They write essays, study infant and toddler brain development, and talk about family and community relationships. Their goal is to provide quality care to preschoolers and make careers for themselves. Fourteen low-income Hispanic women are participating in a pilot program intended to lead to nationally recognized certification in child care. Organizer Becky Barker says the program is a first step toward meeting the need for skilled child care for Hispanic youngsters. Once trained, these women will be able to teach fundamental math and language skills to Spanish-speaking preschoolers. Youngsters, in turn, will be better prepared to succeed in school. In the process, the program is helping the women qualify for jobs in child care. Barker hopes participants can eventually qualify for certification from the Washington, D.C-based National Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition. And because the training includes basic education -- writing in Spanish and training in English -- the program could help the women qualify for all sorts of employment. "A lot of the women here have a third- or fourth-grade education," Barker says. "This will help them develop confidence more than anything." And, she adds, "There is a lot of need for bilingual employees." "This training will prepare them for entry-level employment." The need for child-care workers is particularly acute, says Fran Laugsand, a mentor in a Portland State University project to create a registry of qualified child-care providers around the state. She is a Head Start teacher in Grants Pass and has been working with the women in Barker's class. The three-week session is a collaboration of local program mangers who have been providing early education for Hispanic youngsters. Those programs include Southern Oregon Head Start, Jackson Education Service District and the South Oregon Child & Family Council Inc., which is managing Barker's training. The program is being funded by a $10,000 grant from Wells Fargo. Most of the students already have been involved as parents in other publicly funded child-care programs. After the training, Barker will enroll the women in Project Listo, a preschool program. Project Listo gives Hispanic youngsters pre-math instruction and teaches social and problem solving skills. In addition, Project Listo parents attend weekly sessions on child development, health and community services, as well as general education and computer skills. Last year, 80 families participated in Project Listo. Barker said she hopes that with the training program, more families will be able to enroll in the fall. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA