About 10 Soboba Tribal Preschool staff members are learning the Luiseño language during weekly classes that began in June and will last until the end of the year, including from left, teacher Ana Garcia, director Dianne King and teacher Melissa Arviso who review their notes after a recent class, Aug. 12. Valley News/Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians photo
When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Soboba Tribal Preschool to cancel its regular summer session, staff took advantage of the down time to implement a program they have wanted to do for a long time. Thanks to a mini grant from the Tribal Child Care Association of California, preschool director Dianne King and teachers began taking classes to learn more of the native language of their students.Kindergarten teacher Cindy Lee said the classes are covering the Luiseño language in a conversational way that can be adapted into the school’s curriculum.“We’ve always done vocabulary words in both English and Luiseño, but this is going to give us a chance to greet students and ask simple questions in their native language and have them learn how to respond,” Lee said.[caption
