Some programs that teach English to Spanish-speakers are thriving in Nevada County, while others are just slowly catching on, according to those involved.

Those in the business are pondering ways to reach Spanish-speaking families who have not taken advantage of the services, which are available to people of all ages. Others note that native English speakers are enrolling in the programs to learn Spanish.

“Not a lot of the Hispanic community members come to these events,” said Carolina Beltran, a native Spanish speaker, president of the Nevada Union High School Spanish Club and co-founder of a Spanish-language story hour at the Grass Valley Library.

“Half the time (at story hour), it’s families who want their kids to learn some Spanish,” Beltran said. “I’m Hispanic myself, but I have a mom and dad who stress education.

“A lot of these kids (at NU) don’t have that background,” Beltran said. “Their parents are always working.”

Ninety percent of the students in the Spanish Club are native English speakers learning Spanish who tutor students learning English, Beltran said.

The Nevada Union Joint High School District has 52 Spanish-speaking, English-learning students spread through NU, Bear River, Silver Springs and the Ghidotti high schools, Superintendent Ralf Swenson said.

Twenty-nine of the students’ families say they speak Spanish in the home, and 25 of the students have been reclassified as fluent in English, Swenson said. The other 27 get English language support on campus, with aides helping them through.

“We do not do bilingual education, that isn’t done at many places anymore,” Swenson said. “The students are well-accepted and part of the larger group.”

At the library

Spanish Club leader Beltran uses bilingual education on purpose at the Spanish-English Story Time she helped start at the Grass Valley Library. It meets at 11 a.m. the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, when she reads a story in English and Spanish.

“We wanted to do something in this town to promote bilingualism,” Beltran said, and the story time was born.

“At the beginning, there were no Hispanic families, but they started to come,” Beltran said. While there, some families were steered to the Wednesday night class at Hennessy as well.

“It’s slow, but I feel very positive about the programs,” Beltran said. “Instead of denying (Hispanic presence), we should deal with it and educate them.”

“We have a wonderful kids collection and a growing adult section for Spanish books,” said Grass Valley Library Assistant Tracey Lilyquist. “I see more English families who want to learn Spanish, but we have Spanish-speaking families that come regularly as well.”

At the Wednesday night English class at Hennessy School, Spanish-speaking families have been learning America’s language for the past eight years, according to Grass Valley School District Superintendent John Byerrum.

“Quite a few families use it, it’s been as high as 25,” Byerrum said. “Our Spanish-speaking families have been very eager to learn. We wanted to have Hispanic families helping their kids at home with their homework.”

There are also about 50 Spanish-speaking students enrolled in the English language program within the district, spread out between Lyman Gilmore, Hennessy and Scotten Schools.

Those who are not school age turn to the tutors at Partners in English Language Learning, a non-profit which used to be affiliated with the Literacy Council of Nevada County. The group is run on donations and Program Coordinator Donna Cobb is the only paid employee.

More than 40 volunteer tutors teach about 50 adults English at Cobb’s office at Lyman Gilmore School, at area churches, the Grass Valley Library and in the students’ homes, Cobb said.

“A lot of our students have two or three jobs, so it’s hard for them to make a commitment to a program,” Cobb said. “A lot of them want to get a better job or talk with their children’s teachers.

“Whatever level the student is, that’s where we start,” Cobb said. “Some people want to write English better so they can go back to college. It’s not a place for people to learn Spanish.”

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To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.