BSP: Confronting the Educational Barriers in Immigrant Households

July 2014 Newsletter

"BSP was founded with the objective of providing immigrant workers the vocational training and education to create opportunities to reach the American Dream. To many janitors, this dream encompasses much more than economic prosperity; it symbolizes personal advancement, and the ability to provide a better life for one's children and ultimately break the cycle of poverty. In that way BSP shares a common mission with me that is about moving children in our communities towards progress.

Since the development of the partnership a focal point of BSP has been its ability to educate and develop parent leader workers through its Parent University programming. This program seeks to orient parents to the K-12 public education system, and steps towards college attainment. We know parents play a critical role in student learning and it is important to have empowered parents. Today friends, the vigor BSP shows to fight and advocate for those who need it most is the reason I stand with BSP."

M�nica Garc�a, LAUSD Board Member

Parent University Success Stories

BSP Scholarship: Working Towards the American Dream

Parent Participant Receives
LAUSD Award

Ricardo Rubio is the son of immigrant parents who are both janitors at Cisco in San Jose and participants in BSP's on-site ADVANCE program. Ricardo recently started his first year at Santa Clara University and is studying Civil Engineering. He is a proud recipient of the BSP scholarship and has represented BSP's Parent University program by outreaching to potential parents in other events, such as during BSP's Health and Resource fair held in San Jose earlier this year. Ricardo has been proud to share his own story and hopes to inspire others to pursue their goals.

Amparo Gonzalez, a Janitor for ABLE in Los Angeles, and her children have been active participants in BSP's Parent University program for the past 5 years. Learning how to navigate the K-12 system, grasping college costs and requirements, and getting informed about financial aid opportunities through BSP's program, Amparo shares that she has been able to successfully help two of her four sons graduate high school and enroll in college. Recently, Amparo received the Guillermina Award: Madre Campeona presented by LAUSD board member Monica Garcia,for her hard work ensuring that all children receive a quality education and graduate high school.

Expanding the Parent University Program Statewide

In its continued efforts to engage participants in their children's education, BSP will expand the Parent University program throughout California this year. With workshops, campus tours, and college fair visits planned in the Bay Area, Orange County, San Diego and Los Angeles, BSP's goal is to encourage participants to play an active part in their children's academic lives.

Monica Rueda, AmeriCorp VISTA

In 2012, the Parent University program expanded to the Bay Area with the assistance of Monica Rueda, an Americorps VISTA. As she completes her placement with BSP this August, BSP will continue to build on the infrastructure and relationships established by Monica. She has been instrumental in helping BSP grow its Parent University program in the Bay Area.

As Monica transitions out, BSP's Bay Area Parent University program will continue to grow thanks to her work; this summer, BSP will partner with GLOW to offer workshops about college financial planning. Monica says she's grateful for her experience and will take what she's learned with her. "I'm inspired by students who are eager to pursue a college education in spite of the challenges they face", she says. "It's sad to leave BSP, but I'll definitely be back to volunteer."

New Grant from The W.K. Kellogg Foundation Helps Launch BSP to New Areas of Focus

Participants get help filing for financial aid for college

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded BSP a two-year grant in collaboration with the UCLA Labor Center to engage parents with young children. With this exciting opportunity, BSP will expand its parent engagement program to new areas of focus, offering immigrant parent workers information on early childhood education that will impact their chances for success. BSP believes that the most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school, aside from household income, is the extent to which that student's parents are able to: 1) create a home environment that encourages learning; 2) communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations for their children's achievement; and 3) become involved in their children's education at school and in the community.

Other News


BSP Awarded WKF Giving Fund Grant BSP has been awarded $25,000 from the Werner-Kohnstamm Family Giving Fund to support its best-practice model of working with immigrant households to create a college-going culture and workforce readiness skills.	BSP Awarded NCLR Grant BSP's parent university program was awarded a $5,000 grant from the National Council of La Raza and the California Science Center. This grant will allow BSP to expose immigrant families to the sciences by taking them to the California Science Center. For many this will be their first time visiting a science museum.

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