Service Guides

2PuntosPlatform’s service journalism has been fueled by identifying information gaps in the city’s Latine community due to language barriers and cultural differences. 

Our work has included information pamphlets about domestic violence prevention, databases on Latine community gardens in the city and how to access them, as well as a pamphlet with resources to help mothers enroll their children in school, especially for the first time. 

Our latest product is our poster newspaper, a project that attempts to help mothers navigate the city’s educational system. You can see more below, and get in touch with us at comunicaciones@2puntosplatform.com if you’d like a copy.

After reviewing the Children First Pa’lante report, which noted that Latine children are falling behind in school, 2PuntosPlatform recognized an existing divide between Latine parents and the Philadelphia public school system. Parents often do not know how to access the resources the city provides, and the city does not always reach members of the Latine community to meet their needs.

Due to the importance of early education, the second edition of the service journalism series, Bienvenidos a la Escuela, focused on helping parents navigate early childhood education.

Through conversations with parents and members of the community, 2PuntosPlatform found that parents want to participate in their children’s education; they need to learn how to do so.

2PuntosPlatform maintains the belief that if Latine parents participate in the school system, their children will also learn to participate in politics and democracy. Children tend to learn from their parents’ example and can become active community members. 2PuntosPlatform is testing this theory by informing parents about the different stages of the school system in Philadelphia and encouraging involvement.

Children First, ChalkBeat, and the Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia contributed to the development of this edition and assisted in connecting with the community.

While working on the first edition of the service journalism series Welcome to School, 2PuntosPlatform discovered that one of the biggest challenges for Latine parents is accessing specific information about schools, health centers, vaccination lists, and other essential resources by zip code. This discovery led to compiling the information into a pocket-sized pamphlet to address this issue.

For this project, 2PuntosPlatform received support from The Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative and collaborated with ChalkBeat, which later joined in producing the second edition of Welcome to School.

During ongoing dialogue with the Latine community—particularly women—and through its work with the community newsroom VozColectiva, 2PuntosPlatform realized that Latina mothers struggle to understand and integrate their children into the city’s public education system. This is not a new issue, as navigating the system is complicated for parents.

In addition, the 2024 Children First Pa’lante report showed that even though Latine and Hispanic children are a growing demographic in Philadelphia’s public schools, they are falling behind in math and English standardized testing compared to their peers.

In hearing parents’ frustrations, 2PuntosPlatform identified the root of the problem as the gap between the community and the city administration. This gap is not limited to language; it also stems from poor communication and a lack of understanding between the Latine community and various offices within the school district.

To help bridge this gap, 2PuntosPlatform produced Welcome to School.

While gathering information about the school system in Philadelphia, 2PuntosPlatform organized the findings into different poster newspapers, each corresponding to a specific stage of the education system. The format was designed as a poster that could be placed on a wall or refrigerator or folded into a size smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper to fit in a bag.

This first chapter provides general information: How to access the school system and comparisons with the education system in Latin America. It includes rights information and community liaison tools, as well as community wisdom—insights from mothers who have been navigating the system and strategies that have proven helpful.

After releasing the first chapter of the series, 2PuntosPlatform conducted a focus group to gather feedback and distribute the material. The poster newspaper included a section called “Know Your Rights,” which mothers identified as one of their favorite parts.

2PuntosPlatform holds the theory that participation in the education system can be a first step toward improving Latino parents’ connection to the democratic system. The belief is that if mothers and fathers enhance their communication with the education system and find success, the Latine community will become more active participants in society.

This project is part of 2PuntosPlatform’s service journalism series, Welcome to School. The first edition of this collaboration was made possible thanks to Diana Lu of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Technical assistance was made possible through collaboration with Children First.