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SPRINGFIELD — Standing before a class of 20-plus Maple Elementary third-graders, Maria Avila reads with the poise and enthusiasm of a seasoned teacher, even stopping on occasion to ask the children a question or remark on something silly.
She gets tripped up only once — over “bow wow,” the only English word she comes across in her Spanish-language version of a book of children’s poetry. She pronounces it “boe-woe,” laughing because she knows she didn’t get it right.
Avila didn’t always have such confidence. For her and a dozen other Hispanic parents who read stories at Maple, it’s taken time to grow comfortable at the head of the class.
Helping Spanish-speaking families feel comfortable, welcome and valued is a primary aim of Maple’s Family Bridges/Puentes de Familias program, which began in earnest in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by English Language Learner teacher Zehra Greenleaf.
The program encompasses a range of activities, but at its core are classroom readings, scheduled once every couple of months. Hispanic parents (mostly mothers) stand side-by-side with teachers, taking turns reading storybooks — the teacher in English, the parent in Spanish. Afterward, the pair lead the children in a craft — typically something related to the story and Hispanic culture.
On this day, Avila and student teacher Gina Pearson read “From the Belly­button of the Moon and Other Summer Poems,” a whimsical compilation featuring sunflowers, summer storms and a bi­lingual dog that barks in English (“bow wow!”) and Spanish (“guau guau!”). Then they pass out orange and yellow construction paper circles and ovals, and the kids use glue sticks to create their sunflowers.
Near the front is 8-year-old Giovanni Avila, Maria’s son. Having his mother come in to read to his class (this is her fourth appearance) makes him proud and happy, he says, “because I love her so much.”

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