Kendy Espinoza and her son Emmanuel look through the book "What to Do When Your Child Gets Sick" at Moffett Elementary School. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times / October 9, 2010)

Spanish-speaking parents filled the cafeteria at Moffett Elementary School in Lennox earlier this month to watch Lorena Marin, a parent coordinator and literacy coach, demonstrate how to use a digital thermometer and liquid-medicine dispenser.

"What do you do when your child is choking?" Marin asked the crowd of about 50, some toting babies.

Get them to hold their arms up or look at a bird in the sky, parents said. Marin pointed to a section in