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Sandra Blefko, ESL family outreach specialist for Orange County Schools, said she was not surprised by the data presented and that many of the families she works with voice similar concerns. “That’s probably why (parents are) not that involved,” she said. “Not that they don’t care. They just don’t know how.” Once the data had been presented, McMonigle asked the crowd gathered to help prioritize the trending problems that had been drawn from the survey responses. The themes listed were: transportation, support for Latino families, college and career preparation, readiness for kindergarten, mentoring, childcare, out of school time, family support and academic support. Those in the audience were allowed to vote for what they felt were the most pressing needs for their community. Each person was allotted 10 votes and could not use more than four votes for any single topic. Once all the votes had been cast, four needs came out on top: transportation, childcare, readiness for kindergarten and support for Latino families. Individuals were then voted to cast votes for suggested strategies to meet these needs — or to suggest their own strategies. The crowd voted for the following strategies or solutions: — Transportation: Expand existing bus services, allow more transportation for after-school or summer programs — Child care: Increase child care subsidies — Readiness for kindergarten: Expand Pre-K enrollment — Support for Latino families: Provide more opportunities for Latino parents to learn English. McMonigle said the votes and the written suggestions would be taken into account as the Family Success Alliance continues to compile data. Surveys will still be received for another two weeks, and McMonigle said the alliance plans to continue surveying in future years as time passes and needs shift. “We’re here. We’re staying. We’re committed,” she said of the relatively new initiative. A similar meeting — with a different set of data that reflects the needs of Zone 6, or Chapel Hill and Carrboro — will be held Thursday, April 9 at Carrboro Elementary School from 5 to 7 p.m. Child care and a light meal will be provided. The priorities chosen from both zones will be presented at a meeting of the Family Success Alliance Advisory Council on April 20 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Carrboro Century Center, and it is open to the public.