This April, the IRC in Silver Spring, in partnership with Solutions in Hometown Connections (SHC), ran an early childhood and caregiver support program combining kindergarten readiness for preschool-aged children with accessible English language instruction for their caregivers. 

Since the program’s launch in January, it has doubled in number of participants and courses to promote childhood education. 

SHC teacher encouraging student at white board.
SHC Instructor Naz encouraging student participation.
Photo Credit: Zahra Bajwa, IRC Staff

Centered around building parental confidence in communication and supporting children’s development, the initiative reflects a growing recognition that supporting parents is essential to supporting young learners.  

Through this collaboration, Solutions in Hometown Connections designs the class curriculum and leads instruction, while the IRC provides direct support to participants, promoting school readiness and preparing caregivers to navigate the school system in a new cultural context. These sessions serve a dual purpose: preparing children for preschool while modeling effective developmental engagement for caregivers.

The English instruction part of the program, offered at both beginner and advanced levels, has also become a space where confidence takes root. One SHC teacher, Naz, described the progress of a particularly shy student: 

She didn’t know how to hold a pen when we started and would never raise her hand. Today, she got up by herself and wrote a letter on the board. That’s absolutely amazing. 

Now midway through the current session, the program is seeing tangible results in both classrooms. Children are more independent and eager to explore new activities and interact with peers, while caregivers are gaining skills and confidence that extend beyond the classroom. 

“Even showing up is enough,” Naz added.

“The goal is growth and participation. These women show up for their kids and for themselves.” 

By combining child development activities with practical language instruction, this initiative offers a model of how family-centered programming can support early education, independence and build community resilience.