Jared Polis Foundation Education Report: People

Parents play a critical role in their children’s education, and research clearly shows that their active engagement contributes significantly to educational achievement and success. But Helen Garcia proves that grandparents can be just as important in building strong schools and helping kids succeed. Helen is a very busy grandmother, volunteering much of her free time to help her grandchildren’s two schools in Denver. Her two granddaughters go to Lake Middle School and her grandson goes to West High School. “Being an involved parent or grandparent and knowing the school, principal and teachers well will only increase the opportunities for students to graduate from high school and to accomplish success in school,” says Helen. Her grandchildren are very proud of their grandmother’s involvement and they’re doing great in school.

This year, Helen and seven other active parent volunteers started a group called “West High School: The Connection” and provided parents and families with a toolbox that included information about the school and important dates for school events, encouraging parental involvement. “Are you connected?” the group asks the school community. For this year’s incoming freshman class at West High School, “The Connection” held late summer meetings for parents and encouraged them to become actively involved with the school. The group also makes daily phone calls to the homes of students who are absent from school.

To recognize teachers’ hard work, Helen and other parents at both Lake Middle School and West High School started giving small tokens of thanks and appreciation to all the teachers, letting them know how much they are valued by the communities. Lake Middle School teachers received cards, student artwork and candy, right before the winter holidays; West High School staff received their gifts right after Spring Break and the Colorado Student Assessment Program when teachers are really exhausted, according to Helen.

School safety is a top concern for parents and guardians and Helen wants to make sure that her grandchildren are in a safe and secure school environment. Last year, she and other parents at Lake Middle School got concerned after noticing that there were no security cameras near the school’s main entrance, which is not visible from the school’s administrative office. So they received permission from Denver Public Schools to use the school parking lot for parking during Broncos games and worked every Sunday last season during home games. Charging $15 per spot, they raised enough money to install security cameras at the entrance and help the administrative office monitor traffic.

Recognizing how much Helen has done to help schools and get parents involved, a Lake Middle School assistant principal nominated Helen for the 2006-07 Denver Public Schools “Parent of the Year” award. In May, Helen and two other parents received the award and were honored at a DPS ceremony, but for Helen what really matters is for her work to inspire others: “The award is not what’s important. If another person could see this and think ‘I can do this,’ then the work and volunteering is worth it. What is most important is to get other parents helping in schools.”