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Oswego,
Illinois
Activities |
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| Adult education classes and
parenting workshops held at the migrant camp, outdoors
or in homes have proven more successful than events
held at the public library. Difficulties with transportation
and childcare often hinder parents’ participation. |
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| DuPage Children’s Museum
and Project MAX/ Oswego have established a close
collaboration. Every fall the museum invites MAX
families to spend a day playing at the museum. Project
MAX expands that activity through home visits to
increase language development. Before the museum
trip, the home visitor uses color pictures of the
museum exhibits as part of a matching game to teach
the families the names of the exhibits in Spanish
and English. After the trip, the home visitor helps
the children to write a story about what they experienced
at the museum. |
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| Home visits are the heart of
Project MAX. The time spent with parent and child
together not only improves language development
but also strengthens the bond between them. While
the child learns to categorize animals or match
shapes, the parent learns more about the child’s
strengths and how to incorporate literacy activities
into daily routines. |
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| Last year, Project MAX held
ESL classes for parents at the Plainfield Public
Library. An unexpected benefit of this was an increase
in families obtaining library cards and using the
library on a regular basis. The library responded
by adding books in Spanish to their collection.
For example, books from the Chicken Soup series
were ordered for adults as well as books on child
development. For children, the library added board
books, fairy tales, and even some Harry Potter books. |
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