SPANISH-LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING AS ESSENTIAL FOR SERVING PARENTS AND FAMILIES AT A HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION

As Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) continue to grow across the United States, so too does the need to expand programming efforts to serve Spanish-speaking parents and families. Drawing on the idea of “servingness,” which includes efforts that honor the cultures and lived experiences of Latina/o/x, Black, Indigenous, and under-represented students and communities, this chapter highlights how parent and family engagement efforts at HSIs can meet the shifting needs of Spanish-speaking families. This chapter highlights how Spanish-led virtual coffee chats became a space of access, engagement, and connection for families during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the coffee chats have continued to grow and expand to include multiple campus partners and resources.