HITN Learning completed its 2019 Hispanic Heritage Month national campaign, co-hosted by participating Barnes & Noble stores, at a final event in Miami October 12. The campaign was a celebration of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures entitled “Raising Bilingual Children in a Multicultural World”. HITN Learning teams including Dr. Mariana Diaz-Wionczek, bilingual education advocate and TED Talks presenter, descended upon 7 Barnes & Noble stores in New York, Florida, Texas and California to provide valuable tips and resources to raise awareness of the importance of being bilingual in today’s increasingly diverse world. “Bilingualism is a beautiful thing! Being able to speak two languages opens so many doors and broadens our view of the world,” Dr. Diaz-Wionczek commented. “It starts at home, when parents speak to their children in their own language. It’s important to expose children to the language as early as possible so that speaking it becomes a natural part of their lives.”

HITN Learning celebrated the diversity represented in each of the communities… New York City, Miami, El Paso and McAllen (TX), and San Diego County (CA)…and engaged every child’s creativity and energy by involving them (alongside Mom, Dad and Abuela!) with the Cleo & Cuquin Family Fun! math kits and app. A particular hit was the augmented reality/AR experience from the Cleo & Cuquin Explore + Learn App. Children also chose their favorite characters in face painting, and learned how to make cubes and diamond shapes from cut-outs, exposing them to 3D shapes math concepts. And the HITN Learning team provided special versions of Barnes & Noble Storytimes by reading aloud from the Cleo & Cuquin Read and Learn books from the Family Fun! kits, in both English and Spanish.
HITN Learning expresses its gratitude to the Barnes & Noble chain for this collaboration to support its mission of educating the next generation of Latinos, combining the best practices in education and technology, and creating tools for parents and teachers that can be used at home and in the classroom. These are natural additions to HITN’s long-standing roles as a Spanish-language TV network and as a community presence, working with local organizations across the United States to engage, inform and create social awareness for Latino families. Just because 2019 Hispanic Heritage Month is over doesn’t mean we’re done! Stay connected with us. HITN Learning is coming your way very soon!