LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the number of English learners in Kentucky continues to grow, Fayette County Public Schools is working with students and families to keep up and meet the growing need for resources and services.

Geoneida Molina moved to Lexington from Venezuela last year with her 8-year-old daughter. Despite the language barrier, Molina said her daughter is thriving and is now fluent in English.

With the help of a multilingual family ambassador, LEX 18 spoke with Molina about her experience moving to the district.

“My daughter’s experience has been truly extraordinary,” he said.

She added that her daughter has been able to quickly integrate into the FCPS community.

“That has been very important because she feels happy and safe, protected.”

Heading the district’s multilingual department is Rose Santiago. Santiago grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the Bronx in New York City, when she began learning English herself.

She said she was able to succeed in school because of teachers who pushed her and felt empathy, not pity, for her.

“I said I was going to be a bilingual teacher because they were so influential,” she said. That’s exactly what she did, working as a bilingual teacher across the country before becoming FCPS’ director of multilingual gifted and talented services.

Her experience has influenced the way she works with students and families.

“I remember my mom, she went to school the day I enrolled. And the second time she went to school was the day I graduated. Not because she didn’t care, but because she didn’t know how to navigate the system,” he said. Santiago.

His team has worked to develop programs to not only integrate students into the district, but also their families.

With 113 different linguistic backgrounds in the district, its eight multilingual family ambassadors serve as bridges between schools and families who do not speak or write English.

The district has also hired translators and translation devices to assist with communication. Family classes and a multilingual center, which helps connect families with food, housing and employment, have also had an impact.

“We are adding professional learning opportunities for our families to understand attendance, understand how to navigate the school system, their rights but also their responsibilities,” Santiago said.

District test results have shown steady improvement among English learners. In 2022, 17 FCPS schools were flagged under federal guidelines for “low performance” among English learners. This year, only 6 FCPS schools were singled out.

“Regardless of zip code, what we are doing is removing barriers and providing opportunities,” Santiago said.

This article is the second part of a two-part series on the growing population of English learners in Kentucky schools. The first part can be found. here.