Thursday, October 1, 2026
While on maternity leave in 2021, Jasmine Rivero, a former bilingual kindergarten teacher at Deasy Elementary School, reflected on her family, motherhood, and her time at the school from 2015 to 2018.
The time she spent reflecting on her life led to the creation of her now one-year-old program, Creative Enrichment Services LLC, an academic resource for Spanish-speaking students, and students who may need access to resources outside of a school setting.
Rivero, a first-generation Cuban on her father’s side, understands the struggles many students face. Her program was highly influenced by her family’s hardships when they immigrated from Cuba to the United States. At the time, her father, an English as a Second Language student, was removed from school when he was 13 for behavioral problems.
Rivero’s grandmother worked many hours as a factory worker, and couldn’t provide the academic support Jasmine’s father needed to grow. He was eventually sent to a trade program, in which he flourished, and he was able to create a career for himself in construction.
“I believe those kinds of programs really saved his life,” Rivero said.
Although her new program is still gaining traction on the North Shore, it focuses on students’ personal as well as academic goals. The program is a tool for ESL students in the Spanish speaking population of the North Shore, but also serves those who face other types of academic and personal hardships. The Academic Resource and Success Program, a subset of Creative Enrichment Services, has a 10-week curriculum.
In Rivero’s program, students learn habit-forming strategies, and how to pursue careers that align with their interests. It will focus on creative problem-solving, communication strategies, and even exercise and nutrition. The students’ caretakers will also be involved in resource meetings, in which Rivero will
“Working with Ms. Rivero makes me more motivated to work hard in school,” said Shao Ong, a North Shore High School sophomore. “She helps me set goals and gives me ideas on how to reach them.”
Ong said that working with Rivero is about more than just schoolwork. Rivero helped Ong sign up for driving school and a permit test. She also found a biology program, and Ong now takes weekend lab courses. “I’ve learned a lot about myself,” Ong said.
Melanie Arfman, the principal at Deasy Elementary School, is a consultant for the Academic Resource and Success program. Arfman said that there are many Hispanic families on Long Island that have trouble acclimating to school curriculums, and she believes that Rivero has a deep understanding of what those families need to succeed.
“It’s hard for them to get into our society, in our culture, and realize that they have a voice — and how to use their voice so they can advocate for their children,” Arfman said.
Arfman added that Rivero is mirroring an educational planning approach called Understanding by Design, the practice of looking at personal and academic outcomes to design curriculum, classroom instruction and performance assessments.
Rivero is also partnering with local businesses and organizations so students can interact more in the communities in which they live, as well as gain networking opportunities after graduation.
She is a new member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and hopes to use her connections there to network with professionals who can assist students struggling in the community. She wants students to have a clear path after graduation and be part of businesses in their own communities.
“Academics are important,” Rivero said, “but the kids who don’t want to go to college, the ones where school isn’t working out for them, they’re building community relationships and getting internships in trade.”
Spiro Tsirkas, executive director of the Youth Bureau, worked closely with Rivero before the Covid-19 pandemic, when she volunteered as an academic counselor at the Bureau. Tsirkas, a consultant for Rivero’s Academic Resource and Success program, introduced her to organizations such as the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition, where Rivero will be working with the parent Spanish program.
Tsirkas said that he is confident that Rivero knows the needs of the North Shore community, and understands how families struggle to support school-aged children.
“A lot of these parents are working two and three jobs trying to make ends meet,” Tsirkas said, “and there just isn’t time to sit on top of their kids.”
