Escuelitas con Los Vecinos de Buford Highway

Program Overview

Escuelitas is community initiative spearhead by Los Vecinos de Buford Highway in partnership with Buford Highway People's Hub that serves immigrant and undocumented families from Dekalb County and Gwinnett County in Georgia. The program brings together educators, local leaders, and college students to provide adult learning and tutoring for students k-12. Our lessons focus on Latin American and Indigenous culture and history, civics, bilingual literacy with reading and writing in English and in Spanish. We incorporate Know Your Rights workshops to bring information and resources directly to families in need. Topics range from housing to healthcare and education plus many others. Our sessions begin in the spring after Spring Break and run through November. We gather at Church of the Incarnation in Chamblee 2 Saturdays a month from 2 pm to 4 pm. Our sessions begin with light snacks and parents and children sharing stories. We take 15 minutes to do shared English lesson with parents and students before separating for our interactive lessons. Parents stay in the main room and children are broken up into 3 groups according to age.

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

Parents' Reflections

Mr. Dario, a father of four young girls and a dedicated participant in Vecinos programs, shared that the Escuelitas Program taught him about the history of Latinos in Georgia. He said that these lessons had given him greater pride and motivation to excel for himself and his family. Mr. Dario emphasized his commitment to continuing with Escuelitas and English classes in 2025.

Mrs. Mirna, a two-year participant in Escuelitas, encouraged all families to remain involved in the program. She shared that learning about the cultures of other countries had increased her empathy toward people of different nationalities. Mrs. Mirna also expressed her gratitude for Vecinos' support in areas like housing and education and urged everyone to stay organized during challenging times ahead.

Mrs. Monica expressed her thanks to the leaders for guiding them in ways that strengthened their ability to defend their rights as tenants, a challenge faced by many in the community. She appreciated the innovative teaching methods used, especially a memorable lesson where participants planted seedlings to reinforce their learning. Mrs. Monica praised the creativity and dedication of the program's teachers for making each session engaging and enjoyable.