DAYTON — Bill Castro saw the need, three years ago, to increase the presence and role of the Greater Dayton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as the population slowly trickled into the Greater Dayton region.

In his mind, the community could either be "behind the eight ball or ahead of the competition."

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"There is another culture in our melting pot. That hasn't happened in a long time," said Castro, a member of the chamber's executive committee whose family owns El Meson Restaurante & Catering. "You can't put your head in the sand and say it's not happening."

The Hispanic chamber now features a bilingual Web site, has developed multi-cultural programs for high school students, and extends a hand to businesses that want to market products to Hispanic consumers, or tap into that community for services.

One of the biggest challenges to new immigrants, Castro said, is the language barrier.

"As we grow and migrate, the community needs to adapt and learn the language," he said.

Castro was born in Panama and his family moved throughout Latin America due to his father's employment with NCR. They moved to Dayton in 1966.

"As a seven-year-old, I learned the language three months into the school year," Castro said. "We have really become a part of the community."

Jan Lepore Jettleson, director of East End Community Services Corporation, also believes language barriers have created hurdles.

"Our community was caught off guard with the influx of Spanish speakers," she said. "Language is a huge issue."

East End now employs a Hispanic/Latino family advocate — funded by United Way — to assist when language gets in the way, like in gaining access to health care.

As an example, Lepore Jettleson said families were getting medical bills in English, that they couldn't read.

"We worked with local hospitals to bill in Spanish," Lepore Jettleson said. "Latinos do pay their bills."

In Dayton Public Schools, Hispanic students make up about 2.5 percent of the district's enrollment, about 418 children total.

Very often it's Hispanic children who talk to the school about their own education. They are translating for their parents, said Debra Brathwaite, deputy superintendent/chief academic officer for the district.

Two programs will be launched in October to help Spanish-speaking parents of elementary students to feel more welcome in Dayton Public Schools. SPLASH is a literacy program to help parents assist their children with homework. Spanish Club, still under development, will help parents become familiar with the school environment, so they'll know who to turn to if they have a concern.

Carolina Silva, director of youth and family services for East End, said Hispanics also need more vocal support from the community at large.

"Discussion about immigration changes the mood. People get more vocal against (Hispanics)," Silva said.

Related article: Dayton-area Hispanic population grows more than 46 percent