HopeSparks' Readiness to Learn program helps make sure Pierce County kids and familes are safe and supported

Every parent dreads that phone call from school, letting them know that their child is in trouble.

Whether it’s persistent tardiness, difficulty staying engaged in class, frequent playground conflicts, or simply inability to focus, these challenges can be especially overwhelming for families already navigating other life stressors. For parents facing housing instability, financial hardship, or health issues, finding the time and resources to support their child’s success at school can feel daunting.

That’s where Readiness to Learn, which operates under the umbrella of the Tacoma-based nonprofit HopeSparks, can help.

“Our program is very hands-on,” says Tamela McBride, a community-based worker who is in her 24th year working with the program that’s free to families. “As long as you’re willing to engage, I will walk with you every step of the way.”

“Our goal is to get that child ready to get to school, ready to learn,” adds McBride, who serves as team lead for the Family Support Program. Often, that means solving problems at home that are causing a child to act out or shut down at school. While completing a comprehensive needs assessment with a parent, family strengths are highlighted. And needs, issues, barriers and goals are identified. This guides the development and design of each family’s unique family goal plan.

McBride recently recruited new Family Support Specialist Teneka White (pictured above). White, who has a decade of experience working in social services, says her role at Readiness to Learn “has given me the ability to walk hand-in-hand with families. I can visit them at home, go with them to appointments. It allows me to use my skill set.”

Readiness to Learn receives funding support through Connect Pierce, Elevate Health’s care hub that supports the vital work carried out by community-based workers and improves local health and wellness outcomes through community-based care coordination.

McBride, White, and the other Readiness to Learn team members work closely with Tacoma Public Schools counselors and principals, receiving referrals for families and children struggling with issues that disrupt learning.

While Ready to Learn staff members often meet with families at home, they can also meet wherever a family feels comfortable: schools, libraries, or — especially during the summer — public parks.

There’s no time limit for participation; parents who remain actively engaged can continue in the program if their child has an identified need.

While McBride and White work primarily with Tacoma Public Schools families, the program also includes assistance for families in the Franklin-Pierce, Sumner-Bonney Lake and Puyallup school districts.

Helping families navigate the labyrinth of community resources is one of the big parts of the community-based workers who work for Ready to Learn. Families face myriad barriers that can affect kids and cause them to lose focus at school: violence at home or in the community, hunger, eviction, divorce, disability, mental health issues, addiction, joblessness, homelessness — and sometimes more than one. 

“Asking for help is really hard for 90 percent of people,” says White. Once they decide to seek help, parents can spend hours on the phone, or wading through multiple sets of paperwork and applications. Sometimes help that was available yesterday is gone by tomorrow.

“Funding sources and resources change constantly,” says McBride. When she encounters a closed door, her mission is to follow through and find alternatives.

White says McBride is practically her own one-woman resource: “She is out there. She knows everybody and everybody knows her.”

White tells the story of a client — a domestic violence victim — who needed shelter for her family quickly.

“This lady,” she says pointing to McBride, “made it happen.” 

McBride says there’s no magic involved: “I’ve been able to focus on the same community over many years. I know our clients.”

McBride nods to White, noting that White puts clients at ease with her gentle approach and ability to follow through: “I’ve watched you, the energy you exude.”

Both women say their previous life experiences help them understand the struggles families are going through.

“I’ve lived a life,” says White. “You don’t have to worry about me judging you.”

McBride knows that families in survival mode need help. Just having an advocate makes them feel like someone is in their corner, that they’re not alone.

“It’s one less thing on their plate,” she says.

Her message to them is simple: Readiness to Learn can help stabilize your family, so that your child can move from floundering to flourishing.

ABOUT THE STORYTELLERS:
-Writer Debbie Cafazzo is a Tacoma-based freelance journalist and communications professional. She was a reporter for 25 years at the Tacoma News Tribune where she covered education, health care, breaking news and a variety of other subjects.
-Photographer John Froschauer is a Tacoma-based photographer who has shot for the Associated Press for nearly 30 years. He also recently retired from Pacific Lutheran University where he served as the campus photographer for more than a decade.