Children celebrate their completion of the 2026 Together We Learn program.
When Both Generations Cross the Stage
At most graduation ceremonies, parents watch from the audience. At this one, they walked across the stage too.
This spring, Catholic Charities Dallas celebrated the 2026 graduation of its Together We Learn program: a moment unlike most school-year milestones. Thirty-eight children in caps and gowns lined up alongside 88 parents who had spent the same nine months in a classroom of their own, building English language skills, confidence, and new possibilities for their families.
For many, it was the first graduation they had ever walked in themselves.
What Is Together We Learn?
Together We Learn runs at three North Texas sites:
- St. Pius X Parish, in East Dallas
- Cardinal Farrell Community Center, in West Dallas
- Schimelpfenig Library, in Plano
While children under five take part in literacy and kindergarten-readiness activities, their parents attend ESL coursework in the same building, offered through a partnership with Dallas College. No one has to choose between their child’s education and their own. For nine months, families pursue both, together.
One mother enrolled in the program alongside her three-year-old son, Rodrigo. She said English had always been her biggest obstacle, enough that the idea of sitting in a classroom made her nervous. A friend finally convinced her to try.
Another parent, Mariana, enrolled because her daughter, though already school-age, hadn’t developed the vocabulary her teachers expected. Two years later, Mariana credits the program with helping her whole family grow together.
Why Two Generations Learn Better Together
Most early childhood programs are built around the child alone. Together We Learn starts from a different premise: a child’s readiness for school is inseparable from the opportunities available to their family. This year’s 126 graduates came from more than 50 ZIP codes, and 72% live in communities United Way has identified as among the most vulnerable in North Texas.
What Nine Months Produces
What Nine Months Produces
The numbers from this year’s cohort reflect what consistent, long-term support can accomplish.
Developmental Readiness
Achieved by children completing the program at or above their developmental age in critical milestones.
Language Proficiency
Demonstrated by graduating parents, breaking down critical barriers to community connection.
Family Literacy
Strengthened by parents increasing their reading frequency and building long-term learning habits.
One graduate captured this ripple effect in her remarks: “Today, I feel more confident to have a conversation in English. I have noticed my progress in reading … when I participate in programs at libraries and when I read to my children in English.”
The Gap These Families Are Filling
The Texas Workforce Investment Council estimates that federal and state grants fund only about 3% of adult education needs statewide. An estimated 4.7 million Texans, roughly one in five adults over 16, qualify for adult education services but lack access to them. In Dallas alone, approximately 20% of adults are estimated to have limited English literacy. For many Together We Learn families, this program is their first sustained connection to formal education in the United States.
“To Anyone With a Dream, This Place Opens Doors”
The children who walked across the stage this spring will enter kindergarten with stronger language and developmental skills than they would have had otherwise. Their parents will carry increased confidence, higher English proficiency, and, perhaps most importantly, the knowledge that they did this alongside their children.
Together We Learn depends on donors, volunteers, and community partners who believe that the best investment in a child is often an investment in their whole family.
If you believe that too, there’s a place for you in this work.
