A full-service center

It's after 2 p.m. during one of the last days of summer vacation, but 15-year-old Uriah Logan is giving his undivided attention to Nancy Chandler as she administers an evaluation of his language skills.

Her assessment will help the Robbinsdale School District determine the type of English Language Learner, or ELL, instruction he may need as a ninth-grader at Robbinsdale Armstrong or Cooper high schools. His mother, Junetta Logan, of New Hope, sits at a table a few feet away and completes paperwork.

Each year this scene plays out at schools around the Twin Cities area as August fades into September and parents flock to register children at new schools.

A few years ago, new residents such as the Logans -- Uriah is transferring from a school in Tennessee but his family is originally from Liberia -- might have registered at their neighborhood school or the Robbinsdale District office. But the influx of immigrants into the northwest metro area prompted Robbinsdale to open a centralized Resource and Welcome Center about four years ago.

This summer, it moved to a larger space at the Winnetka Learning Center in New Hope.

"It's not just about registration," said Chandler, who works as a family advocate. "This is one thing we can do to welcome these families and let them know about all of the resources in the community."

Meeting the needs of a changing community

Robbinsdale's early childhood and adult basic education departments are also located at the learning center, along with PRISM (People Responding in Social Ministry), a Golden Valley-based social services agency.

As a result, the welcome center staff is able to work with families to guide them through not only the school registration process but also connect them with social services agencies.

Last year the center served more than 300 families or about 1,000 children and adults.

"What we've tried to do is make it a one-stop shop, especially for immigrants who are new to the country," said the center's director, Joyce Beaird.

Robbinsdale school officials said they had recognized the need for a centralized welcome and resource center for years. It's been underscored by the fact that, since 1999, the portion of the district's more than 13,000 students who were English Language Learners has grown from about 1 in 25, or 4 percent, to about 1 in 9, or 12 percent.

A new start

Last week, before the Logans left the resource and welcome center, Junetta Logan received a 20-page resource guide the center created that provides information about driving a car, health insurance, food shelves, job training centers and several other services. The instructions are in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali.

Chandler sat across from Junetta Logan and flipped through the guide, summarizing for her the social services outlined in its pages. She said she would never put a brochure in someone's hand without explaining what's in it.

"It's the greatest thing to meet all of these families," Chandler said. "If we didn't have this [center], we'd be doing a disservice to our community."

Before the Logans left, they had learned that Uriah wouldn't start school on the first day because it would take a few days to process his paperwork. But Chandler said he'd probably start school just a day or two late. She planned to send a report to the schools and contact them about where he should be assigned and whether he needs ELL services.

Although Liberians speak English -- the West African nation was founded by former American slaves in 1847 -- their accent and fast-spoken pronunciation of English and disparities in their education system often mean they're eligible for ELL services.

Uriah didn't seem worried about the late start. He stood next to Chandler, holding the notebooks, pens and other supplies she took from a cabinet full of items that were donated to the district. His arms were full within minutes.

The soon-to-be high school freshmen said he's looking forward to his new school and plans to ask about the basketball team.

And Junetta Logan's verdict on the registration process? "It's been pretty easy because of the way everything at the welcome center is set up."

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395

Patrice Relerford • prelerford@startribune.com