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For this month’s organizational spotlight, we spoke with Angelo Knox. Mr. Knox is the Program Director for Thriving Germantown since its inception in 2017. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Management and Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

Can you describe your history and how your organization came to be?

Family Services, Inc. (FSI) is a 111-year-old non-profit organization that is part of the Sheppard Pratt Health System (SPHS). FSI is one of the oldest and most enduring nonprofit social service agencies serving Montgomery County. The mission of the agency is to “promote the resilience, recovery and independence of individuals and families across the life span through integrated mental and physical health, social service, and education programs, thereby strengthening communities.” The agency provides direct service programs in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, community support, early childhood, school-focused services, and domestic violence. Last year, our programs served close to 13,000 individuals through 268,199 service units in Montgomery (MC) and Prince George’s (PGC) Counties. While we have a bi-county footprint, there are programs that either by location or design focus on specific regions, communities and/or schools.

Can you briefly tell us about the work Thriving Germantown (TG) does with Captain James E. Daly Elementary School (DES)?

With a staff of four Family Service Coordinators (FSC), TG provides comprehensive family risk assessments and develop intervention plans within a "pathways" model, offering concrete steps toward problem resolution and resource linkage.  Each FSC provides intensive case coordination services, which includes the following:

• Home visits
• Regular follow-up with the child and their family
• Outreach
• Advocacy with community resources

What are the demographics of learners? 

A combined 87% of our learners are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. Our learners comprise of 79% female and 21% male. 

For readers who may not be familiar with the TG, what are somethings you would like them to know about your program/s?

Thriving Germantown (TG) Community HUB is a multi-generational, multi-sector care coordination project developed to alleviate the impact of poverty in the Germantown area starting with the Captain James E. Daly Elementary School (DES) Community. TG acts as a central clearinghouse that assess and tracks individual and family risk factors and establishes pathways for achieving measurable outcomes. Each FSC specializes in a specific risk area, which includes: Early Care & Education, Health & Wellness, Behavioral Health, and Household Sustainability (Economic Sustainability and Emergency Assistance).

Can you share a recent success story?

Angelica started with ESOL classes during the fall session and has continued taking classes throughout the entire school year. She has attended more than 80% of classes each session. Throughout the year, she has improved her vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening skills. Angelica has also reported more confidence in her speaking abilities and how she is happy to be able to speak with people in English in public places when she's out in the community. In addition to improving her English skills, Angelica has also become a leader in the classroom and other students often turn to her for additional support and help during class.

For this month’s organization spotlight, we spoke with Stacey Fannon. Ms. Fannon is the ESL Program Manager for the center. She holds a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2000).
 
The Briggs Center for Faith and Action funds and manages the ever-growing ESL initiative. The center engages people who share a passion for social justice and serving the disadvantaged. Briggs has several programs and services. The ESL Program is the central focus.

Briggs offers free, literacy-access, drop-in ESL classes to over 200 learners from 45 countries each year. Thanks to a host of dedicated volunteer teachers, Briggs offers English classes on Sunday morning, Tuesday evening and Wednesday & Thursday mornings. Citizenship classes are also offered. The purpose is to facilitate English conversation and socialization. The goal is for learners to become more proficient and confident in English. Literacy acquired will empower learners to achieve their goals and strengthen communities and workforces.

Classes aim to assist LEP-learners living/working in/near Bethesda. Briggs participates in a “Know Your Neighbor” campaign which seeks to welcome and help our neighbors in need. Historically the program has reached childcare providers, retirees, homemakers, international students and some men. The primary population served are women eager to develop English skills to improve their lives in America.

The top five countries where the majority of our learners were born in is China, Colombia, Brazil, Japan, and Italy. A small percentage of the students are also from countries like Poland, Tunisia, Argentina, France and Israel among other countries. The occupation of the learners ranges from childcare providers to teachers to homemakers. Based on our FY19 midyear data, we are currently serving 158 learners from 41 countries. 

All of our teachers are volunteers. Most of our instructors are retired educators, lawyers, and public servants who are passionate about immigration and social justice issues. Some hold full-time jobs (e.g. nurse, psychologist) with the flexibility to volunteer. Others are pursuing TESOL as a second career and wish to gain teaching experience at the Briggs ESL Program. 

Recent success stories:
One of Leslie Layne’s Beginning Literacy students, Giselle, started off the year knowing very little English. One of her goals was to get a job. Giselle recently informed Leslie that she got a job at a local restaurant. Giselle brought the menu into the ESL class to practice with her teacher and role-played ordering food. Leslie was so happy and felt proud of her student’s accomplishment. Giselle is grateful for Leslie’s help building her confidence and English skills needed to get the job.

The Briggs Center ESL Program offers citizenship and civics classes. Learners improve their English while gaining knowledge about U.S. history, civics and culture. The classes help prepare learners for the U.S. citizenship test and interview. Stacy Parkinson, MCAEL board member and Briggs volunteer, was elated when two of her students became U.S. citizens.

Challenges: 
Since we offer drop-in classes, attendance varies widely. Instructors don’t know exactly how many students will show up on any given day. However, some students do notify their teacher if they know they’ll be absent. Sharing cell phone numbers, email addresses, and forming WhatsApp groups improves communication and helps instructors plan accordingly.

Our teachers have discovered that reading short stories is more appropriate for drop-in classes. Our advanced class is currently reading Great American Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions). Reading full-length books in class can be a challenge, especially for students entering midway through the book. As a solution, before the new student begins class, he/she reads the part of the book they missed at home in their native language. Then, the student reads the rest of the book in English with the class. 

An exciting new project:
As an outgrowth of the ESL Program, the Briggs Center is in the process of creating an Immigration Services Clinic under the leadership of Ferew Haile. Last year, the Briggs Center became affiliated with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. The Briggs Center is awaiting approval from the Department of Justice to provide legal immigration services. 

Tips for recruiting and retaining volunteers: 
Volunteers are our greatest natural resource! The Briggs Center ESL Program recruits via word-of-mouth, email lists (neighborhoods, schools, churches), and websites (Briggs Center, MCAEL, Montgomery County Volunteer Center). I try to recruit teachers that live nearby. This makes it more convenient for them, so they don’t have to deal with a long commute or traffic.  I retain volunteers in many ways. If a teacher is unable to make a class, I help the teacher find a substitute (or teach the class myself – which is very fun and rewarding!). If a teacher has a good idea or resource, he/she shares it with me, then I share it with the others. I share what I learn from MCAEL provider meetings and internet research. Before or after class, or during a coffee break, I check in with the teachers to see if they need anything from me or if they can take any more students. When the teachers come to me with a problem, we brainstorm solutions together. I also give them homemade baked goods and cards around the holidays and at the end of the year to show them my appreciation.  

What motivates our teachers to volunteers:
Most of our volunteers are retired. They are looking to doing something meaningful with their time. I think volunteering with immigrants is their way of making the United States a welcoming place. I think they are motivated to teach because it makes them feel good and it makes the students feel good. The students teach the teachers just as much as the teachers teach the students! It’s a win-win situation!

For more information about the Briggs Center for Faith and Action, please visit their website

Interview by Halima Ahmed

Cecilia began her ESOL career in 1993, she describes “I was approached by Agnes Saenz who was the accountant at Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) at the time. CMR wanted to begin a Latino Outreach Program (LOP) with the goal of helping the Latino community learn English as well as other communication skills. I started as a volunteer Spanish Literacy Teacher and as a child tutor.” Seven years later she became the director of the Language Outreach Program.

In line with American Community Survey data, Cecilia reports that approximately 51% of learners come from El Salvador, 35% from Honduras, 22% from Peru. 28% are from other countries, primarily in Central and South America. Some Asians, West Africans, Haitians, Russians, and other Eastern Europeans. About three-quarters of her learners are female with a quarter being men. They have jobs in construction, landscaping, child care, and housekeeping.

Cecilia is a perfect fit for the demographic the program serves. As a Latina she understands the language, culture and backgrounds of the learners who come to LOP. When asked why she thinks so many of the students are female she says, “LOP offers free childcare and child tutoring for students. This is a great help for mothers who tend to have the responsibility of childcare in their families. LOP is the best choice for learners who cannot afford additional childcare costs and want the ease of childcare at the same time and location as their classes.”

Of the many learner success stories she has, one she remembers is the resilient spirit of Sylvia:

In the story of Sylvia, we see the hard work and dedication of LOP learners. When asked what makes LOP programs unique, Cecilia says “free childcare and preschool readiness for children under five is offered as well as tutoring assistance for all school age children."

Students often have to navigate through multiple challenges in their quest of learning. By providing free childcare for those who need it, LOP makes it possible for mothers (and fathers), who would otherwise not be able to attend English classes.

For more information about CMR and the different services they provide, please click here.

The Ethiopian Community Center (ECC) has been providing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for African immigrants for over a decade. As an established organization which has been in existence for close to 40 years, the ECC is in a strong position to help us understand their community. As a grantee for fiscal year 2019 – we asked the ECC to help us share their story:

Can you describe your history and how your organization came to be?
An estimated 350,000 Ethiopians have made the DMV area their home. Prior to 1980 many Ethiopians came as students, diplomats and visitors. Due to military conflicts in the late 1970’s Ethiopian migration to the DMV area increased. The DMV saw a large influx of Ethiopians affected by displacement coming as refugees and political asylees. Established in 1980, The Ethiopian Community Center was created to address the single and important issue of settlement and adaptation. The main objective was to help the new arrivals settle and make a smooth transition into the community. 

As an established organization in the African community, can you describe the Ethiopian community?
Today Montgomery County is home to one of the largest African-born populations in the US, second to Bronx County in NY. Ethiopians represent the fourth largest foreign-born population in MC, and the top country of origin for African immigrants. While desegregated county-level data specific to the African or Ethiopian population is unavailable, regional trends show high rates of limited English proficiency among Ethiopians. Up to 53% of Amharic speakers are limited English proficient, and a large number of households are linguistically isolated with no English-speaking adult in the household. Given this population’s strong desire and need to learn English, ECC's ESOL program offers a doorway to participating more fully in community life, and an opportunity to achieving greater educational and economic success. 

African immigrants make pivotal contributions to the county's economy; however, they are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage jobs, largely due to cultural and linguistic barriers. Learning English is the first step to eliminating barriers and ensuring that this population can make an even greater contribution to the county's economy. 

A coalition member:
The ECC has been in the MCAEL network for many years. In FY19, as part of MCAEL’s Grant Program in partnership with Montgomery County Government, the ECC was awarded $22,650 to support their African Immigrant Vocational ESOL Program. The ECC, in partnership with the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) an affiliate of Enterprise Homes, offers three levels of vocational English literacy classes to African immigrant residents who live in Takoma Park’s Maple Ave corridor. The objective of the program is to equip immigrants in low wage and low skill jobs with employment-related English language skills that will allow them to successfully access educational and workforce development opportunities. 

A recent success story:
Most recently the ECC toured Montgomery College’s Takoma Park Campus and Workforce Development & Continuing Education Department. Representatives from Health Sciences, Early Childhood, and the office of Community Engagement gave a presentation on non-credit and credit programs, licensing programs, and the college’s Career Pathways Scholarship. As a result, ECC were able to assist 4 ESL students in applying for the Clinical Medical Assistance Program, of which 3 students were awarded $2000 funds through the Career Pathways Scholarship in December 2018.

The ECC today:
Thanks to the collective support of staff, volunteers, private and government agencies, the Center has expanded its services and diversified its funding base. Over the years, it has grown to become a multi-service agency serving not only Ethiopians but other immigrants. Thousands of people have benefited from the Center’s ESOL and computer programs, immigration counseling and referrals, translation and interpretation services, health, career and employment counseling and other support services. As one of the dominant immigrant tax contributors in the area, Ethiopians have established businesses, restaurants, churches, and introduced their unique culture to the American community.  

MCAEL partnerships with organizations like the ECC helps equip immigrant residents with the language skills necessary to build strong communities and workforces.

To learn more about ECC, please visit their website

Interview by Halima Ahmed