Multi-lingual parent academy opens in the South Bay

Distance learning: It's not just a challenge for students.

Parents too are expected to rise to the technological challenge.

But for many, especially in immigrant communities, that's proven to be hard.

"Those were their first thoughts... we don't know what Zoom is. We don't know what Google Classroom is. And our children now need to do that," explains Dr. Alexandra Duran, of the Workforce Institute and San Jose Evergreen Community College District.

And so they launched the Parent Academy. It's a series of classes offered through the San Jose Evergreen Community College District.

And they're designed to help parents help their students at home.

"The students are getting behind because there is less support at home. Not because the parents don't want to but because they don't have the skills or the resources to support them," says Duran.

The academy hopes to change that with classes offered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, with topics from technology to time managment.

Aracelli Ortiz Medina wanted to be able to better help her three daughters.

And she explained through a translator, it's already working, "to not be afraid of the technology."

There's been an added benefit too. Also she said, "It's helping me learn options for my own goals."

140 parents signed up for this week's orientation. About 54-percent of them do not have a high school diploma.

Administrators hope what they learn here, is just the beginning.

"I always tell parents, you dream high because we're here to help you get there," says Duran.

Classes are free and it is not too late to enroll. The parent academy's fall session is just now getting underway.