Binder #: 21
Major: Political Science
Passion: Hispanic Community
Organization: Heartland Headstart
Project Title: “Heartland Headstart Hispanic-Friendly Resource Guide”
Project Summary: Susie Walter took on the initiative to create a Hispanic-Friendly Resource Guide (begun by Bridget Mudron and Elizabeth Towers in 2004 for HH) during her spring internship at Heartland Headstart in 2006. Heartland Headstart is a program dedicated to providing preschool education to children from low-income families. Heartland Headstart’s multicultural programs would “enable [children] to develop an awareness of, respect for, and appreciation of individual culture.” While the needs of Hispanic families were assessed and resources were updated and publicized, there was still a schism between the English and Spanish speakers in the program. There was not sufficient, adequate translation and interpretation for many of the programs and event. Susie Walter, during her internship, provided interpretation during home visits, phone calls, classes,etc. She also translated many of the HH documents into Spanish. She does indicate however, that she was unable to get to them all and that there would be a need to have them revised and checked for grammer and syntax. This is a future goal, along with the continuation of the Hispanic-Friendly Resource Guide, and increased interaction between the teachers and staff and the Hispanic families.