Ph.D. student Meritxell Feliu Ribas, in collaboration with Prof. Kendra Dickinson, has been awarded an IDEA Innovation Grant for their project Spanish in Society Enrichment Program.
The Spanish in Society Enrichment Program is an after-school initiative designed to promote sociolinguistic awareness and educational justice among Spanish-speaking children in Central Jersey. Through interactive, project-based learning, students explore the role of language in family, community, and society, while developing critical thinking skills and affirming their multilingual identities. The curriculum promotes culturally responsive education and is aligned with New Jersey state learning standards and CEAR Principles and Practices.
This first edition of the program, which will run from September to December 2025, is specifically designed for kindergarten and first-grade students in the Highland Park School District. Through developmentally appropriate, play-based, and artistic activities, the program invites children to explore themes such as language, identity, and belonging, empowering them to recognize the value of their home language practices and their role in a multilingual world.
The first edition is led by the founding team (Meritxell Feliu-Ribas, Dr. Kendra Dickinson), in collaboration with the Highland Park School District (Delsey Capil, Colin Mackintosh). Additional support will be provided by volunteers and community collaborators.
Congratulations!