Letters

Hispanic Month

This week marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to honor the diverse cultures and traditions of Hispanic Americans nationwide. The daughter of seasonal farmworkers, I am part of an often forgotten population of hardworking people who are deeply rooted in many communities across the country.

After a summer spent in Washington, D.C., interning for the Peace Corps in the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity, I feel this month is an important time to call attention to a program that changed my life, and is changing the lives of Hispanic Americans across the country.

As a young girl growing up in Sunnyside, I remember my parents having to take my siblings and me with them as they worked in the fields ― my parents could not afford childcare or pre-school, and had no other option but to take us to work with them. My mother was thrilled when she learned that we qualified for an early learning program called Head Start. She could now have the peace of mind of knowing her children were in a safe place and even learning while she was at work.

Like many young children in Spanish speaking migrant and seasonal farmworker households, I entered Head Start with little to no knowledge of English. In the Head Start classroom I not only learned English, but I also gained a strong understanding of the alphabet and numbers. Head Start taught me patience, manners, resilience and, above all, a love for learning. The program also encourages family involvement; and because all the teachers were bilingual she could communicate with my teachers which made a tremendous difference. The program engaged my mother and gave her the knowledge and resources she needed to ensure we had a healthy learning environment both at school and at home.

I now understand the power of early learning and the path it put me on; today I am a student at Washington State University where I am pursuing a degree in Human Development and eventually plan to earn a master’s in Public Administration.

The lack of access to early learning programs and childcare is a reality for seasonal farmworker children across the country who are missing out on critical developmental support in their first years of life. So, as we commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month this year, join me in renewing our commitment to ensuring no child is forgotten and all have the early educational opportunities they deserve.

Lionor Galindo,

Pullman