By Leslie Fuentes
Public Communications
The Early Childhood Center hosted its first-ever Hispanic Heritage Literacy Night, on Thursday, September 18, giving pre-K students and their families the chance to celebrate the diverse cultures of Hispanic heritage through stories, games, and bilingual literacy activities.
This year’s event was unique in that it combined elements of Hispanic Heritage with literacy. Families visited booths dedicated to different Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, and explored books highlighting food, sports, culture, and celebrities. At each booth, students participated in hands-on literacy activities such as bingo, identifying beginning letter sounds in bilingual soccer vocabulary, sequencing story parts, and letter identification. Families also enjoyed listening to popular Latin American stories projected on the cafeteria screen.
“Events like this give us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our diverse community while nurturing a lifelong love of reading,” Early Childhood Center Coordinator Amanda Price said. “This event is all about making learning fun, exploring stories, playing games, and creating memories. Sharing these experiences not only helps us support our children’s growth as readers, but also strengthens the bonds that connect us as a school family.”
The activities were designed to give pre-K students meaningful opportunities to practice foundational literacy skills while learning about Hispanic culture.
“This event is about encouraging an early love for reading, but it’s also about celebrating the culture of the families that we serve,” In-Class Support Teacher Leah Cowman said. “We have a large Hispanic population here at Humble ISD, and we really want to make them feel celebrated so that everyone feels seen and as one whole community. Students are only here for one year, so we get one year to really build community with our families, and it’s important that we do as much as we can to help families feel that this year was complete.”
The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Committee, made up of Early Childhood Center teachers and paraprofessionals, organized the event. Staff members carefully selected Spanish-language books to serve as the foundation for each activity and celebration.
“This year, we’re focused on celebrating the different cultures represented here at the Early Childhood Center,” Bilingual Education Teacher and FACE member Monica Amador said. “With this event, we’re not only showing students to value their culture, but we’re also teaching them how to explore it through literature and education.”