When Garcia signed up for the nine-month training program, she was a full-time mom who did not speak English. By the time she completed the program, she had gained enough confidence to leave an abusive relationship, get a job as a teacher’s aide and learn English.
Meanwhile, her 10-year-old daughter, Rosa, enrolled in an after-school tutoring program. Within months, her grades had improved. And Hector Uriostegui, 18, Garcia’s oldest son, decided to volunteer at the school as well.