| Mini-Grant Program 1996 |
History of Agency/Project
Established in 1991, Centro Latino de Educacion Popular (CLEP) seeks to reduce widespread illiteracy among Los Angeles' Latino population and to improve conditions of life in their communities. In order to meet these dual objectives, CLEP has designed and refined a comprehensive literacy curriculum that personalizes the learning process by teaching reading and mathematical skills within the context of basic rights and individual responsibilities.
Collaborating Partners or Agencies
State Literacy Resource Center (SLRC) at Los Angeles Mid-City ABE Center
Union Avenue Elementary School
Evelyn Gratts Elementary School
Rosemont Elementary School
Echo Park Library, a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library
Description of the Project
Through this grant, the Centro Latino de Educacion Popular (CLEP) and its partners have expanded their literacy work by providing family literacy, with educational support to the children of adult literacy students, at its new sites at Union Avenue, Evelyn Gratts and Rosemont Elementary Schools. The active parent and teacher advisory committees, already in existence at the three schools, help to recruit participants by making presentations to parents at school meetings, making home visits, distributing fliers and promoting the program at all school activities. The teachers at each school also identify the students lagging behind in their studies and contact their parents to participate in the program. CLEP teaches basic reading and writing skills to parents and coordinates its work with teachers and volunteers to bring together the adults and children into one learning environment.
CLEP works closely with the SLRC at Los Angeles Mid-City ABE Center to utilize all of the existing resources and teaching materials in the three family literacy programs. CLEP also utilizes its own curriculum which focuses on teaching adults through the use of discussions and writings about their daily, real life experiences. The use of these instructional techniques have been very effective in motivating and enabling the students to participate actively in their learning process. CLEP and the schools are involving approximately 100 children, along with 90 adult students, in this process.
| Project Budget | ||||
| SLRC | State/Local Funds | In-Kind | Total | |
| Salaries/Benefits | $10,000 | $30,000 | $24,000 | $64,000 |
| Operation | $ 5,000 | $17,368 | $22,368 | |
| Equipment | 0 | |||
| Total | $15,000 | $30,000 | $41,368 | $86,368 |
This grant provided essential support to enable CLEP to expand its teaching staff and to provide free learning materials for the adult students. Without this grant the program could not have expanded into the new schools or included the number of children and adults it was able to reach.
Success of the Project
The most significant success is the tremendous modeling which these newly-literate parents now provide for their children. The elementary school children involved in the program are inspired by watching their parents practice their reading and writing skills and engaging in group discussions which expand their critical thinking abilities.
Personal Anecdotes
Concepcion Castillo, a 74-year-old graduate of the program, commented that it wasn't so long ago that she felt humiliated and ashamed for not being able to read and write. "Can you imagine how embarrassing it is to have someone write your checks for you? I should have learned how long ago, but I never had the time. I was working since I was very young and then I raised a family." Now Concepcion Castillo writes her own checks and is learning English.
Seventeen years after leaving El Salvador, 68-year old Marcos Guido is writing home for the first time. Not because he ever forgot the children and grandchildren he left behind, or because he never took the time to write. It's because until recently, he never knew how. "I always had to look for someone to write my letters for me. But it's different now. Now my family understands what I want to say to them, and I feel proud."
For Liliana Rivera, a 50-year old housekeeper, her newfound ability to read and write has not only made life easier, but also inspired in her a passion for learning. Orphaned at the age of three and raised by an aunt in a rural Guatemalan village that had no school, Rivera never had a chance to learn about what is now one of her favorite subjects--prehistoric animals. "I'm reading this book called Evolution right now and learning about mammoths. I can read all sorts of books now, even difficult ones. I'm so happy."