Over 60 parents and Revere Public Schools’ staff joined together Tuesday night to take part in a Family Engagement Night.
Hosted by RPS’s the evening included presentation from Kristina Peralta, Home for Little Wanders, as well as the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Jacqueline Bagnera and Jessica Berry.
“It was great to see so many faces at the family engagement night; the event was a powerful vehicle to help many immigrant families facing legal and cultural hurdles access necessary resources and information,” said RPS Assistant Superintended Dr. Lourenço Garcia. “Their interest in interacting with the presenters and with each other, while learning about and being exposed to wide-ranging resources and information on how to navigate complex systems for successful integration, was remarkable.”
Speaking about the types of programs and assistance Home for Little Wanderers can provide to RPS families, Peralta gave a presentation on how they support and connect families with a variety of resources. These supports included housing, education and immigration needs, as well as English classes, support groups and advocacy.
"Thank you so much for having me! I was so happy to share with the Revere community about our center. I loved how school staff and families alike were engaged and asked so many great questions," said Peralta. "It showed to me how invested everyone is in the children and in the community. I’m also happy to report we’ve already had referrals and families visiting because of the event. "
RPS families also learned how they can change the life of a child in need by becoming foster or adoptive parents with DCF. Bagnera and Berry talked about how DCF supports foster/adoptive care in Revere and beyond.
“This event was wonderful. I was so happy to be able to connect with the Revere community and have such a great turnout. I was able to share information about how to become a foster parent and provide support,” said Bagnera. "If you were not able to come or would like to learn more, please feel free to sign up for one of our upcoming virtual info sessions: https://www.mass.gov/guides/upcoming-foster-careadoption-informational-meetings.”
RPS also raffled three Thanksgiving Day Dinners after the presentations.
Stay tuned for more Family Engagement Nights throughout the school year!
See all the photos here.