By Natalie Zarowny
nzarowny@cbs4qc.com
A new mentoring program focused on utilizing parents at Moline
and East Moline schools, began training today.
"Opportunity to learn more, train the parents, and I
love working with children, and I love the school," said Maria Villarreal,
one of the mentors.
Parents, primarily low–income mothers, are trained and
placed in public school classrooms to work with students four days a week for
two hours.
The goal is to improve student test scores, and build strong
relationships between parents, staff, and students.
"It's an unbelievable opportunity for parents to really
get an insider's perspective on what the school is like," said Bridget
Murphy of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago, which originally
started the program.
The program starts the first week of February at Ericsson Elementary
in Moline and Hillcrest Elementary in East Moline.
