PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Nearly three decades ago, Carol Wong noticed a need for a bilingual preschool program in the heart of Chinatown to help immigrants and their children.
She says she saw brilliant young kids who struggled to grasp some of the cultural and foundational skills they needed to go on to kindergarten, in large part because of the language barrier.
“A lot of times, immigrants are very shy and withdrawn, because they are afraid ‘maybe I'm not saying it right,’ or ‘I don't know how to say it.’ So we work on those skills,” said Wong, founder of Chinatown Learning Center.
“We want [English language learners] to have a really strong solid foundation, positive self esteem, confidence, and just the ability to positively communicate.”
The Chinatown Learning Center’s bilingual program supports children ages 3 and older, but the job goes far beyond providing child care. Since its founding, the center has been empowering immigrant and Asian American communities through education, connection, and advocacy.
“It's not just educating the children. It was really supporting and helping the parents to know what to do, how to do it, and to know that we're there to support them. It's just so important,” Wong said. “We can't do it all. They can't do it all. It does take a village, but the village has to start somewhere, and preschool education is just so important for kids.”
During the height of the pandemic, when the Center was forced to close, Wong found other ways to support families, including virtual classes and food drives.
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“We also gave out food to parents that needed it. We would arrange no-contact pickups. And then we also gave bags of supplies, educational materials. We have a partnership with the Philadelphia School District. So we were able to do a lot of extra things to support the parents.”
As COVID-19 restrictions near their end, Wong says she is hopeful that the Chinatown community she loves can bounce back.
“More people are recognizing that it's not just a place with restaurants. We're a community of families, of businesses, of people who have been here forever.”
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Wong says, as a small business owner, a leader, and a mother, nothing is more rewarding than watching her students grow from toddlers to thriving citizens thanks to the impact of her center.
“I see the different programs that are available to the families now — whether it's learning English, understanding why it's important to vote, helping them get citizenship, helping them navigate the educational system — and parents are very appreciative and grateful.
“In fact, I've had parents come back to me in the past and just thanked us, because their children were doing so well. Either they graduated college or went to college or have a great job. And they come back and they say, ‘You know, thank you so much for taking care of them.”