Refugee group, child-care society team up to help immigrants

PILOT PROGRAM HELPS IMMIGRANT PARENTS LEARN ENGLISH

A central Alberta refugee group and a local child-care society have teamed up to make it a little easier for refugees and immigrant parents to learn English.

Newcomers can have trouble attending language classes, because they don’t have enough money to pay for child care.

A pilot program that began in Red Deer on Feb. 1 uses available daycares that take in immigrant preschoolers so that their parents are free to attend English classes.

The partnership between the Central Alberta Refugee Effort and Red Deer Child Care Society has allowed 10 children so far to be accommodated.

Parents get the usual subsidy that’s provided to low-income families and the rest of the daycare fee is topped up by a federal grant.

Rob Elliot, executive director of the child care society, says the arrangement has been going well and the only adaptations needed have been for cultural dietary preferences.

Although the goal is to allow more parents to attend English classes, Elliot sees other positive effects.

Immigrant kids are also learning a new language by mixing with English-speakers at the daycares and local children are getting early exposure to other races and cultures.

“We’re very pleased to be able to offer this to the community,” he said.

Anna Morgan-Wold of the Central Alberta Refugee Effort calls it a win-win. The group operates its own child-care program, which was recently expanded to accommodate about 60 kids, but she said there’s always more demand than can be filled.

Officials studied a successful Edmonton model and based the Red Deer pilot project on it. Morgan-Wold hopes it can be renewed in September if federal funding continues.

Ajulu Okello, who came to Red Deer from Ethiopia, was able to obtain a child-care spot for her four-year-old son while she studies English.

“It makes me proud,” she said.