English as a Second Language Classes:

Thirty percent of the residents of Packer Townhouses do not speak English as their native language. These families, of Asian descent, speak Hmong (Laos highlands), Lao (Laos lowlands), Khmer (Cambodia), and Thai (Thailand). The highest percentage of non-English speaking residents speak Hmong. The Hmong language was not a written language, until an alphabet was developed during the Vietnam War era; only the recently educated Hmong adults will be literate in either their own, or the English, language. ESL classes begin with noun identification, common greetings, and functional phrases. The Packer ESL program meets three times weekly, and is attended by 5 to 12 persons each session. This program is funded through Madison Area Technical College.

GED/HSED Classes:

Classes for adults and teen parents whose education has been interrupted are offered two mornings each week in the Packer Community Center. An individualized program is developed by the instructor, which may address anything from basic literacy skills, to applying for higher education programs. The oldest participant is in her 60s; the youngest participant is not yet 20. This program is a collaborative effort of Dane County Parent Council, MATC, and Packer Community Center.

Family Enhancement:

Weekly support group for parents, which addresses issues of interest developed by resident participants. Recent topics included violence in society, women's health issues, and crafts. This program is a joint effort of Family Enhancement and Packer Community Center. When the group began 18 months ago, the turn out was small (sometimes as few as one person each week for several weeks). After hiring a Packer resident, through Family Enhancement funding, to serve as a Community Outreach worker, involvement grew, peaking at about 20 residents participating in weekly meetings or events.

Briarpatch Parenting Seminar:

Briarpatch, a non-profit organization which works with parents of teens to maintain family stability in an age of change, wrote a cooperative grant with Northport & Packer communities to offer a 6 week parent-education class entitled: "How to Survive Being the Parent of an Adolescent". Parents of youth entering, or enrolled in, middle school are a unique group among Packer residents. Of the 18 families of middle school youth, all but two have lived in the community since their adolescent was 3 or 4 years old. All of these families are experiencing adolescence for the first time, having no older children. This group of parents is already tightly knit and supportive; this workshop will primarily serve to enhance mutual support and offer information.