Glen Ellyn District 41 liaison reaches out to Spanish-speaking families

Since meeting Gabriela Escobar, local mother Maricela says she has received nothing but help.

Escobar has given the mother of two Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 students rides and helped her access services such as food pantry resources and scholarships so her daughter could join park district programs. She talks to Maricela about how her kids are doing in school, describing where they excel and where they struggle.

“Ever since I met her, she's helped me very much,” Maricela said through a translator.

Escobar, 40, is the Spanish liaison for District 41. What that means is Escobar is the bridge between the district and its Spanish-speaking families, helping them access resources and better understand the school system.

Her job looks different depending on the day. She might help a parent report that a child will be absent from school, then join a family to translate as parents and educators discuss a student's individualized education program, or special education plan.

“She is just that welcoming face for a lot of our Spanish families and a lot of our at-risk families that sometimes have a hesitancy to come into school in the first place to ask a question or to seek assistance,” Churchill Elementary School Principal Scott Klespitz said. “She's been able to bridge that gap for us and really kind of help people feel welcome.”

Besides interpreting for families and translating documents, Escobar also collaborates with families in the district's prekindergarten programs, runs a book study for Spanish-speaking moms, co-facilitates the bilingual parent advisory committee and helps with home visits.

The home visits allow Escobar to get to know the families and the struggles they may be facing, said Katherine McCluskey, the district's director of English as a second language and bilingual services.

“Oftentimes (when) it's families that are in need, she would go and find out kind of what those needs are,” McCluskey said. “If the child is struggling academically, she might be going there to speak with the family about that and provide resources. Sometimes she attends with teachers that might be going there for conferences.”

Escobar's job is to be that “line of communication for the district to provide resources, answer questions and provide support to all of our Spanish-speaking families,” McCluskey said.

Escobar mostly works with parents. She also plays a role in making district events accessible to Spanish-speaking families.

“Sometimes I feel like the Spanish-speaking families wouldn't come and attend events if it wasn't for Gaby personally calling them all,” Chief Communications Officer Erika Krehbiel said.

To Escobar, it's important to help the families understand the American school system and then work with it.

“First of all, they need to understand how the school system in America works,” she said. “Once they understand that, they're going to be able to get involved in their kids' education, but also in other activities that we have at the school district.

“The first thing is just to help them to understand the system and once they understand the system, they're going to understand they have rights but they have also obligations,” she said. “They can just help the kids go through the system and really take advantage of the system.”

McCluskey said Escobar's work has definitely had an impact on the district.

“It's really helped families continue to be connected to the schools, to empower the families to be involved in their children's education and really to promote the achievement of our students,” McCluskey said. “So she really promotes the resources and supports the needs of the families.”

And for Escobar, it comes down to making sure these families feel like someone is listening to them.

“I like them to feel welcome,” she said “like there is someone who will hear them and try to help them.”