Patricia Aransibia is ���Parent of the Year���

Endless patience and questioning about learning tools has helped Patricia Aransibia improve the education of her child living with cerebral palsy. Her tireless efforts and numerous hours spent helping her daughter, Shadequa, with homework after school earned the single mother of three the admiration of teachers who nominated her as ‘Parent of the Year’ in the Digicel Foundation’s Enrichment Programme. “One thing I have always noticed is how involved she is,” said Marcia Richards-Mitchell, manager of the Enrichment Programme at St. Catherine-based Davis Primary where the 10-year-old is enrolled. “Every time I call about a parenting seminar or an event, Patricia is always there, and you’ll never see her frustrated with the child because of her challenge.” Aransibia’s story stood out among a field of nominations submitted to the Foundation; primarily as a result of her highly positive approach to parenting. “For Shadequa, what I want most for her is to achieve her goals in life,” said Aransibia after receiving the recognition as ‘Parent of the Year’. “I love being a parent, especially teaching my kids lessons I feel they need to learn. “She is now so interested when she comes home to do her homework and to take part in classes.” The Enrichment Programme “livens up learning” through technology with audio-visual tools, according to Dane Richardson, Digicel Foundation’s Enrichment Programme Manager. “However, it is really our parents and teachers that make the programme a success through their dedication and willingness to put in the extra time to see their child succeed,” he said. The Enrichment Programme, which was launched by the Digicel Foundation in 2009, is geared towards improving the literacy and numeracy levels of children from grades 1-3. In 2013 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with Digicel Foundation to expand the programme as well as engage parents to help ensure its success.