Eba credits the Bright Beginnings Family Literacy Program® with changing her mindset about what it means for her and husband, Trinidad, to be good parents to their 4-year-old twin daughters, Alexa and Alesandra.

She was hesitant to join a class last fall. Their daughters had been enrolled in another program, but the girls were unable to overcome their separation anxiety and the program did not meet the needs of the English learning twins.

Eba remembers the first day at Grace Place vividly. “The girls were just three years old, and my heart was breaking as they were crying so hard when I dropped them off in Miss Shaga’s classroom. Within an hour, Eba was able to rest a bit easier as a Grace Place teacher showed her their daughters were happily interacting in their classroom. “All of the teachers were so positive, it made the transition easy. Today, when there is a day off, my daughters cry because they want to be on campus.”

In her first year at Grace Place, Eba was in a Bright Beginnings 101 class. She credits Miss Michelle with giving her more confidence and teaching the class that it is all right to ask questions. Prior to their daughter’s birth, Eba attended Florida Gulf Coast University to pursue a degree in psychology.

While there, Eba felt uncomfortable with her English skills and embarrassed to ask questions. Though she still has a few years before she can go back to finish her degree, she knows that she will be a different type of student thanks to Grace Place. A natural people person, Eba continues to work as a salesperson for a network marketing company that represents international nutritional brands. She believes that being bilingual in America will help her achieve greater success.

Now in their second year, she and the twins read together regularly in both English and Spanish. Eba wants her daughters to be bilingual so they can help others in the same ways Grace Place helps them. Though Alesandra excels more at reading and pronunciation, Alexa has stronger reading comprehension skills. Eba has already seen improvement in her own English vocabulary, pronunciation, and writing skills since the start of the school year.

She credits Bright Beginning’s 3-year-old class with improving her daughters’ social skills and is excited for them to continue to learn English, and their numbers and enter kindergarten at the same level as students who are native speakers. Eba knows that Grace Place is helping to set that foundation.