READ/SAN DIEGO AND ITS PARTNERS
Literacy Tutoring at a Neighborhood Church
READ/San Diego's partnership with the 31st Street Learning Center, a community center located at the 31st Street Seventh Day Adventist Church in Logan Heights, is in a different stage of development. This partnership, now six years old, has adapted to changes in the community and evolved over time. Since 1996, 31st Street has offered English literacy (EL) instruction and computer skills for the surrounding Hispanic community, but recently it has changed focus because of a competing EL program in the neighborhood.
The partnership began when a member of the congregation approached READ/San Diego on behalf of the church. Together, the partners developed a literacy program in a computer lab in the church's gymnasium to provide English classes at two levels. The church provides the facility, tutors, and childcare, and READ/San Diego provides the materials, including the computers, and tutor training. According to the center manager, the partnership greatly benefits 31st Street by increasing its visibility in the community.
When a new EL program based at a nearby elementary school recently began offering many of the same services for more days and longer hours, attendance at the EL program at 31st Street dwindled. So the center, with help from READ/San Diego, has realigned its focus. When the center manager told READ/San Diego staff that attendance had decreased, the staff called a meeting to discuss ways to keep the center viable. Together, they came up with the idea to shift from EL instruction to basic literacy. In addition to literacy instruction, the center offers computer-aided courses and a readiness course for potential learners. In the readiness course, learners on the READ/San Diego waiting list are taught about the tutoring sessions and how to make the most of them.
