EDEN Place at Sant La will serve as an educational family resource center

United Way of Miami-Dade, in partnership with Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, is expanding EDEN Place (Educate. Develop. Empower. Nurture.), to provide families in North Miami an educational family resource center. EDEN Place will offer parents free resources, coaching and training to help them better understand local educational systems, empowering them to advocate for their children’s future. Additionally, EDEN Place will serve as a pathway to additional services and/or referrals based on families’ broader needs through Sant La and a network of providers.

EDEN Place will primarily serve families in zip codes 33161 and 33162, where 71% of households are in, or one emergency away from, poverty, according to the United Way ALICE Report.

“The goal is to empower families with knowledge and resources, while providing opportunities to help them prosper and help their children succeed,” Maria C. Alonso, president and CEO, United Way, said. “We are proud to expand our longtime partnership with Sant La, continuing to bridge socioeconomic and educational gaps by increasing awareness, confidence and ultimately, prosperity in North Miami.”

The North Miami community, located along Miami-Dade County’s Northeast Corridor, has an ethnically diverse population whose majority is of Haitian descent. Many are speakers of Haitian Creole, have limited English language skills, face demanding work schedules and are new to local educational systems and norms. Children are more likely to experience poor educational outcomes, and teens are at disproportionately high-risk for involvement with delinquency and dependency systems (Juvenile Services Department, 2017). A situation that can leave some parents frustrated and feeling isolated.

“EDEN Place will fortify Sant La’s focus on local families, and enable our parents’ ability to support their children’s educational outcomes through engaged advocacy,” Gepsie Metellus, executive director, Sant La, said.

EDEN Place will address the community’s needs for more informed and engaged families by equipping parents with tools to successfully understand and navigate the systems that impact their lives and the lives of their children.

Founded in 2000, Sant La empowers, strengthens and uplifts the Haitian community by providing free access to information and existing services. For more information about EDEN Place at Sant La, please call 305-573-4871 or visit www.unitedwaymiami.org/EDEN.