Ximenita is a four-year-old, star student in her Colorful Hands class, New Futures’ early learning program at our Windsor Heights site in SeaTac. Each day in the program, as Ximenita engages in joyful play with the other children, quietly listens to stories, and busily creates works of art, she is building the fundamental skills she needs to be ready for kindergarten.

This may sound like a typical four-year-old experience, but for the children and families in New Futures’ early learning programs, this is a unique and exciting opportunity to get ready for school.

A recent study found that nearly 30 percent of kindergartners in Highline public schools, where children in New Futures’ programs attend school, were not ready to learn. That figure is much higher for the children in the families we serve. More than 90 percent of families in our programs are recent immigrants and refugees, and more than half speak limited or no English. Children in these families often reach kindergarten without any experience in a structured learning environment, and without the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in school.

As is true for most parents, Ximenita’s mother, Luz, has high hopes for Ximenita and her nine-year-old brother, and is eager to help them succeed. But as an English language learner in an unfamiliar culture and school system, she needed some support to figure out how to do that here.

Now Luz volunteers once a week in Ximenita’s Colorful Hands classroom where she learns ways to support her daughter’s learning, and she attends monthly parent meetings that cover topics like child nutrition and health, dental care, child immunizations, and safety issues. Our family advocate has helped Luz and her husband connect with her son’s teachers and become an advocate for him at school.

Luz is proud of the growth she has seen in her daughter since she began Colorful Hands. Ximenita has learned to share toys and play games with her new friends. With support and encouragement from her teachers and her mom, Ximenita has learned that it is okay if everything isn’t perfect. Luz has also noticed rapid improvements in Ximenita’s Spanish and English vocabulary and communication skills. Because of their participation in New Futures’ early learning program, Luz is confident that Ximenita will be ready to learn in kindergarten.