OXFORD, Miss. – The management staff at the Institute of Community Services in Holly Springs can think of no better way to put their Spanish-speaking clients at ease than a warm greeting in their native language.
“It’s more than a ‘hello’ or a ‘goodbye,'” said Fannie Lampley, ICS public relations director. “It’s so important to make them feel welcome to your center and area.”
In November, more than 20 members of ICS staff, including teachers, family service workers, directors and administrators, participated in an Occupational Spanish course taught by University of Mississippi Spanish instructor Ivonne Whitehead.
ICS is a private, nonprofit corporation that provides comprehensive child development and Head Start services to more than 3,500 children and families in Clay, DeSoto, Grenada, Lafayette, Lowndes, Marshall, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate and Tunica counties.
The Spanish program was created with help from UM Division of Outreach and Continuing Education to better serve the community, said Mary Cathey, ICS director of training. Cathey said she hopes ICS can increase enrollment and continue the class.
“It’s good to introduce our staff members who may have not have taken any Spanish to a general understanding of the language,” Cathey said.
Staff members from Tunica, Coldwater, Oxford, Holly Springs and DeSoto County commuted to ICS headquarters in Holly Springs once a week in November to learn from Whitehead, who has also taught the class to law enforcement agencies throughout north Mississippi.
“The course is survival Spanish,” Whitehead said. “It’s taught in order to help individuals in their professions to better perform their jobs.”
Participants learned Spanish vocabulary words as well as simple sentences to use in situations that are likely to arise at local centers. The material will be very helpful to ICS teachers, said Norma Strickland, ICS child development director and a program participant.
“We have an increasing number of Hispanic children who have parents who do not speak English,” Strickland said. “Our teachers and center staff should at least recognize those questions and be able to provide answers in Spanish to those individuals.”
More importantly, according to Angela Mayfield, a fellow participant and administrative assistant to the executive director, the course was taught in a way all could understand.
“I really enjoyed the class and I’ve been out of college for 18 years,” Mayfield said. “The environment was welcoming and (Whitehead) was very patient. She made you feel comfortable and eager to learn.”
For more information about programs in the UM Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, go to http://www.outreach.olemiss.