There’s a saying in Spanish: “Saber es poder,” which translates to “Knowledge is power.” Iris Fernandez witnessed the truth of those words when she brought 23 parents to the Half Moon Bay Library last month to reinforce a message about the importance of reading to their children at an early age.

More than half the parents were visiting the library for the first time. Fernandez says the field trip, offered by Puente as part of its ongoing Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) workshop series, opened their eyes to the vast amounts of useful material that could be had for free. “There are magazines, books, tapes on how to learn English. They’re going to be offering book tablets, too. They were just thrilled,” she says. “We were trying to get everyone back to the bus, and we had to wait for them because they were checking out books,” she adds with a laugh. Thirteen parents signed up for new library cards on the spot.

Participants in Abriendo Puertas select books at the Half Moon Bay Library.

Puente staff didn’t know what to expect on March 2 when they launched Abriendo Puertas, a ten-part curriculum that teaches parents how to support their children’s growth and education with a focus on children aged 0-5. Would all 25 parents, many of whom work at least two jobs to keep their families afloat, be able to stick with the demanding program for 10 weeks?

They have. And they have been learning from each other, not just the curriculum, says Arlae Alston, Early Literacy Coordinator for Puente. Local parents themselves lead most of the sessions, as well as other community leaders and mental health and nutrition experts who were specially trained to present the material. The workshops are written in Spanish and specifically developed for Latino parents of small children. It’s not about perfect parenting, just about becoming more involved and engaged – even when parents are busy or stressed.

“This curriculum doesn’t ask parents to do anything that’s out of reach. We get their economic situations,” says Alston. “It’s not a guilt trip. We want them to feel successful.”

The program lasts from 6-8 p.m. on Monday nights, during which Puente provides childcare and dinner.

The material is interactive and culturally relevant, with short films, group discussions and role-playing. Each session begins with a “dicho,” or saying, in Spanish. The trainings draw on real-life examples to help parents understand how they can participate in their children’s early development to produce long-term success in academics and physical and emotional health.

One of the reasons Abriendo Puertas, which is being taught across the country, works so well is that it empowers parents to take control of their children’s development and make important decisions on that basis. One session teaches parents what to look for at different stages of development, including fine motor stills, cognitive development and language development, and to recognize if there is a problem. During that session, one of the mothers spoke up. She said her son wasn’t talking at the age he was supposed to, but that his pediatrician had assured the family that he was fine. “The child is now behind in school, and she’s thinking it’s because she didn’t push her pediatrician harder on the language development,” says Alston. Puente is trying to enroll the boy in Homework Club to help improve his literacy skills.

Reading together at the library.

What if parents are shy about second-guessing authority figures? One of the sessions focuses on advocacy – teaching parents about their rights in the context of working with school administrators, as well with doctors and landlords. They also learn about the rights of their children.

Most of the sessions focus on ways to reinforce literacy at home. Even if parents themselves are not literate and can’t read to their children in Spanish (or English) they can still make up stories, ask questions, make observations. They can turn off the TV and go for a walk together. Everyday actions, like grocery shopping, are great opportunities for interaction.

“The message is, we want you to talk to your child. You don’t need to be an expert. When you ask your child, ‘What sweater do you want to wear, the red one or the blue one?’ Right there is early literacy,” says Alston.

In 2014, Puente received a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation to fund its new Family Engagement Impact Initiative, which Puente developed in conjunction with the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District. The two-year, nearly $400,000 grant has already helped Puente launch several efforts designed to address students’ struggles by promoting early literacy and bridging the learning gap between home and school. One of the first efforts was to expand Raising a Reader, a free book-bag program, to the younger grades while teaching their parents how to read books to their children – even if they themselves don’t know all the words. Forty-four parents of preschool and kindergarden students (75% of all parents of that age range) participated in Raising a Reader Family Nights. The second major program Puente implemented was Abriendo Puertas.

Two younger participants in Abriendo Puertas play at the library in Half Moon Bay.

The sessions also cover difficult topics like disciplining children without yelling or hitting. Parents are introduced to the concept of positive discipline, and get some good tips on how to enforce consequences for misbehavior. “That was one of the sessions when parents were at the edge of their chairs, really paying attention,” recalls Alston.

Iris Fernandez, Mental Health Intern at Puente, is teaching a session on emotional health in the home. It all starts with modeling good communication, she says. Sometimes parents explode when they’re sad or angry, and then they’re surprised when their children do the same. Or sometimes children bottle up their feelings because they don’t have the language to express them.

“We know as a community there’s a lot of trauma, depression, drugs, domestic violence. So it can be eye-opening for parents to see they can make changes if needed,” says Fernandez.  Parents are key in their children’s social-emotional development. When children have positive, respectful and loving relationships, they learn to express and regulate their emotions in a positive way.“There’s a dicho: ‘Cada cabeza es un mundo.’ Every head is its own world. We can’t imagine that everyone will react in the same way to the same circumstances. It’s okay to be mad or sad. It’s okay to express whatever tension there is, but in a safe way. Children learn this from adults who can model positive interactions.”

Elvira Jimenez gets nervous before going to work. Bussing tables at Duarte’s Tavern isn’t what sets her heart pounding each morning, however. It’s speaking English to the customers. What if she misunderstands, and brings a patron something they don’t want?

She practices the English in her head, and practices saying each sentence aloud: “Excuse me, can I take your plate?” “More water?” “Your waitress is coming.” But sometimes, in spite of all her work, the words still come out wrong.

“I give customers water and bread. But I want to have a conversation with them. It’s hard when someone asks, ‘How is this cooked? Is this good?’ and I want to answer them,” Jimenez says. “I know a lot of words but I don’t know how to put them together.”

She’s getting there. After four years of taking ESL classes at Puente without a single break (starting as a beginner and ending up in the most advanced class, before deciding to step down a level to take it slow), Jimenez clearly understands much of the spoken English that surrounds her and can offer limited replies. It’s hard work – very hard.

“Right now it’s not comfortable. I try tell myself I can do it, but I still feel that pressure,” she says.

Learning English is one thing. Gaining confidence is another. Jimenez, a spry, earnest woman in her early thirties, started as a dishwasher at Duarte’s 12 years ago as a newcomer to Pescadero and a newlywed as well, having followed her husband to California from Mexico. Dishwashing, which is still part of her job at the restaurant, was really rough – sweaty eight-hour shifts scrubbing greasy pans, silverware and sticky soup tureens. She never wore gloves.

“When I started, the hot water burned me. My hands would start to peel,” she recalls. But at least she didn’t need to speak English – or speak much at all.

Then, a few years ago, her boss told her that she wanted Jimenez to start bussing dishes a few nights a week. Although she would earn slightly more and take home some tips, Jimenez found the prospect terrifying. But she also wanted to give it a try.

“She would tell me: ‘You can do it. You’re just going to take bread and water to them. You don’t have to be scared. We believe in you,’” Jimenez remembers.

Soon, Jimenez had English teachers everywhere. At Puente, she doubled down on her ESL work. At Duarte’s, her co-workers were told to speak to her in English only. It increased her comprehension but also her anxiety level.

Her most unexpected teacher is her 5-year-old daughter, Brianna, who comes home from school chattering away in English and then switches to Spanish so her mom and dad can speak to her. Brianna also attends Puente’s Homework Club from time to time, on evenings when her mom is taking ESL.

ESL students and teachers at graduation in the spring of 2014.

Brianna is the reason Jimenez enrolled in ESL in the first place. She wanted to be able to know what her daughter was saying, to help her with her homework, and to be a part of her world.

“It’s very important for every parent to understand their children, to speak their language,” says Jimenez. “When my child says, ‘Can you read me a book?’ I want to be able to read both in English and Spanish to her.”

It was a good decision, because Brianna is already precocious enough to read on her own, much to her mother’s delight. And Brianna has even started improving her mother’s English.

“My daughter tells me, ‘Mommy, you’re reading it wrong.’ She’ll read words to me like ‘apple,’ and if I’m not saying the words correctly she’ll correct me. She says, “Look at my lips and how I move them: apple.’”

Most Americans, especially white Americans, believe immigrants ought to “learn English.” But few Americans – just 18 percent – have themselves faced the challenge of learning a second language. That’s hard enough to do on its own, let alone while living in a foreign country, as Jimenez and an overwhelming number of other U.S. immigrants have done.

Puente offers ESL classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9 pm taught by teachers who are committed to teaching conversation-based classes. Jimenez joins over 50 students in adult education and ESL classes who are balancing working and studying on the South Coast each week.

Jimenez has learned a lot of skills at work. When she isn’t washing dishes or bussing tables, she makes pies, prepares artichokes and cuts fish. Her husband is a cook at Duarte’s and they work opposite shifts, which is hard on their little family. But Jimenez is determined to make it work.

The English is the hardest part. Even after her shift ends, she’ll suddenly remember a word she forgot that day, and kick herself.

“At the beginning I thought, ‘I’m never going to learn this.’ But you keep coming to classes and the words tend to stick. You have to fight, day by day.”