By Jordan Bujarski 

Shawn Howard never imagined she would lead the Family Learning Center in Boulder. Her mother founded the organization and Howard spent much of her childhood there. 

Howard spent nearly two decades in Japan as an English language teacher. When she returned to Colorado in 2021, she became assistant director of the learning center, helping more than 2,000 children and families each year.

“I was friends with a diverse group of kids from Southeast Asia,” she said. “I think my early exposure to Southeast Asian culture sparked my interest in other cultures.”

For more than 40 years, the nonprofit learning center has helped low-income families break the cycle of generational poverty. It offers preschool, after school and family health programs with payment based on a sliding scale.  

“We get to partner with families for decades,” Howard said. “Fifty percent of our parents have been through our programs.”  

The organization’s website says that 95 percent of its students graduate from high school, a success rate Howard attributes to the center’s comprehensive support. 

Janet Kabili is a teacher at the learning center.

“I think the most important mindsets are, first, curiosity about the world and other people, and second, a feeling that you can be successful at learning throughout your life,” she said. “I try to put myself in the students’ shoes when teaching. In my view, empathy for how a student feels about themselves and their likelihood of success is a key to learning.”

Ellie Clark, a junior psychology major at CU Boulder, volunteers at the learning center reading books to children.

“It’s a really good organization that helps kids better themselves and helps them grow academically,” Clark said. “It’s basically like an after-school care program.”  

Howard loves helping the kids. 

“I believe it is the key to a better life, and it is through education that we can empower ourselves and others to have agency over their lives,” she said.  “I get to bear witness to children and families growing and thriving together.”

Story edited by Leah Meyer