"In my country, it's hard to bring parents to the school," says Imelda Vera, a 33-year-old Bell, California, mother originally from Mexico. But at her son's elementary school, Nueva Vista, she started hearing about a 12-week parent leadership training course. "The people who went through the program said they had better lives and felt like volunteering more," says Vera. After completing the course a year and a half ago, Vera says, "Now I feel like I'm kind of a leader."

The course, called Comadre/Compadre, is offered through Bell Healthy Start, part of the statewide program that brings health, education, and social services into the schools. Vera has also attended Healthy Start workshops on asthma, diabetes, and emergency medicine. Beatrice González, a graduate of the first Comadre/Compadre class five years ago, enrolled her son in the Jade Program, a drug- and gang-prevention youth awareness program. "He took his course very seriously.. He would talk about it at home and say things like 'My dad should not be smoking in the house.'"

Graduates of the Comadre/Compadre program "become leaders at school and guides to those who need resources," says Teresa Jacobo, the Comadre/Compadre Parent Group coordinator, who graduated from the first class five years ago. "Leadership was a priority," remembers González. Vera has volunteered at her son's school, doing everything from laminating materials to enforcing the uniform policy to attending literacy workshops. Comadre/Compadre graduates are also trained to be classroom assistants.

Helping other parents

González recalls that in the first class, "People said they wanted to know more about health and legal services to pass on to the community." Today one of the most important services Comadres/Compadres provide is an extensive referral system. Recently González provided a referral to a local clinic for a woman whose nephew, recently arrived from Mexico, has spina bifida.

In the course, Vera says, "I learned that it's important to talk about domestic violence instead of ignoring it." Recently she helped a young woman move away from an abusive husband. "Now she's working and better," Vera reports. Sylvia Casas, a Comadre for three years, says she has also referred parents to ESL classes, counseling, citizenship class, and more.

Community leadership

Vera says the Comadre/Compadre program also motivated her to join Parents of Bell, a group where parents from each school meet on Tuesday evenings to discuss common problems. Vera describes them as "a strong group. Some are Comadres, some are not." Lately they've been focusing on overcrowding and the need for more school facilities, and have been joined by members of the district board.

González has also worked with Comadres from different schools, planning walks and other activities to raise money for breast cancer. So far they have collected almost $6,000 to provide mammograms for low-income people, whether or not their children attend Bell schools.

Casas, a mother of four, participates in a program that distributes food to needy families. She's also become an advocate. When she heard that state budget-cutting might eliminate funds for parent participation in schools, she worked with other parents to gather signatures on a letter supporting continued funding. Recently she's heard that parent-participation funds are back in the budget. This successful protest "gave me more power," says Casas.

Through experiences like these, Comadres and Compadres often "get inspired to go back to school or work," says Jacobo.

The training

Curriculum: Parents meet one morning a week for twelve weeks. The curriculum focuses on communication skills, self-esteem (your own and your child's), problem-solving, volunteering in school, and leadership skills, especially using community resources.

Format: Classes are taught by an adult education teacher and a health educator. The teacher usually presents a topic, such as the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms. Often the class will discuss the topic in small groups, then in a larger group discussion. Guest speakers are often invited.

Ongoing support

After graduating from the course, Comadres and Compadres at each school attend monthly meetings where they share information about activities at the school. Each school also elects two representatives to attend monthly Comadre/Compadre Council meetings where they share information about all the schools in the district. They may discuss candidates running for office and relevant news in the cities of Bell, Maywood, Huntington Park, and Cudahy. The representatives or coordinator then report back to the Comadres and Compadres at each school. Jacobo says they just held a meeting about redistricting the L.A. school district, attended by 300 parents and district representatives.

Administration buy-in

"We emphasize to the administration that it is easier for parents to speak to other parents than an administrator," says Jacobo, adding that administrators know the value of trained volunteers. Barbara Howington, principal of Nueva Vista Elementary, says, "I'm a firm believer that there's a partnership between the school and the parents. It takes time to build leadership, since many parents don't want to volunteer, but the Comadres and Compadres have been strong supporters of parent involvement." Howington especially appreciates the Comadres' weekly parent-training class, which helps parents help their kids at home. Howington meets with the group once a month to discuss school needs-right now they are raising money for an electric sign outside the school.

Results

Comadres and Compadres have the satisfaction of knowing they've helped many other parents. Most also talk about benefits to themselves: "I feel like a leader," "I have more power now." "Now I want to go back to school."

"I learned to be myself and help others," says Comadre Victoria Fernandez. She adds that the course also helped her with her parenting skills: "I now know how to listen to my son more and understand when to be flexible."

Comadre/Compadre Training

• Course length: 12 weeks.
  
  
• Teachers: Instuctors from the Huntington Adult Education School and health educators from the local hospital.
  
  
• Languages: Spanish, with English translations if needed.
  
  
• Funding: In the beginning funding was from the Healthy Start grant. Now the school district and county social and health services departments support the program.
  
  

Contact: Bell Healthy Start, 323-560-4162