How my Daughter and I Found a Second Home at Our Community School

12Nov
by Beatriz González

When my daughter was finishing Pre-K, her teacher told me about NEW Academy Canoga Park. At the time I was looking at two other possible schools to enroll her in. Before this, I didn’t have any other experiences in the U.S. education system. I have an older son, but he went to school in Mexico and is now a university student. I was only familiar with school systems in my country and schools in the U.S. were foreign to me. I didn’t know what made each school different or how I’d navigate connecting with teachers and staff. However, as soon as I visited NACP it felt like home.

When I enrolled my daughter, I met other parents and staff who made me feel good about choosing NACP. Everyone was welcoming and friendly, which made me feel safe. While dropping her off for her first day of school, I knew my daughter was walking into an environment that I trusted. Although I still didn’t know much about how to communicate with teachers or where to go if I had problems, I could tell that NACP shared some of my values. They seemed to be family-oriented and put a lot of emphasis on community. It wasn’t long until I found myself getting involved.

I’m currently participating in parent workshops at NACP with Inspire and the American Heart Association. I’ve been able to grow to be a better mom and I’ve also gained invaluable knowledge about how our schools and districts work. I would’ve never imagined myself learning so much about this foreign-to-me system if it wasn’t for NACP. But to be transparent, it hasn’t always been easy for me to get involved at my daughter’s school. I work; however, it’s even more satisfying to know that, despite my busy schedule, I’ve made time to be involved for the sake of my daughter’s future. It’s amazing to see how much my daughter loves going to school. I know it’s because she feels comfortable at NACP, but I’d also like to think it’s because she sees me getting excited about participating at her school too. 

It gives me peace to know that we have a second family at NACP, one who values respect and caring for others just as much as I do. This makes me comfortable enough to tell my daughter that school is an extension of our home and she should look up to her teachers the way she does to her parents. NACP has truly been great to us and we’re excited for the future to come!

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Beatriz González

As the mother of two, Beatriz Gonzalez believes being a mom is a huge responsibility. She knows that helping your kids can sometimes be challenging, but worth it. For Beatriz, education is important because it opens doors to success for our children. She’s originally from Mexico and her hobbies include knitting, crocheting, and reading.

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