Beechmont Presbyterian Church
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Mission Statement
The La Escuelita Learning Hub seeks to provide educational and social /emotional learning support for immigrant children, supportive services for their families, and opportunities for inter-cultural learning.
About This Cause
The La Escuelita Learning Hub is an after-school and family support program that was initiated in response to an acute need presented by COVID - 19. The on-line instruction provided by our public school system did not meet the educational needs of most of the new immigrant families in our community; many of their children had lost more than seven months of education due to the pandemic. Even though we were in the midst of the COVID - 19 red zone, and vaccines were still not readily available, the church in partnership with Presbyterian Hispanic Latino Ministries of Preston Highway stepped up to meet this pressing need which we viewed as an “essential service” to carry out during the pandemic. With the support of EVOLVE 502, South Louisville Community Ministries and Jefferson County Public Schools the La Escuelita Learning Hub was opened in January 2021 to provide full-time instruction for vulnerable immigrant children. Volunteers stepped up to the plate to run the program with one teacher provided by the JCPS public school system. At the parents’ request the program has continued to serve these families as an after-school/summer school and family support program that serves 28 immigrant children, 3/4 of whom are from families that have fled war, violence and extreme hardship in Honduras, Ecuador, Venezuela, Sudan and South Sudan, the others being children of Mexican immigrants. Most of the children have been exposed to trauma which often has negative impacts on family life and thus many of the children exhibit behavior problems and truancy, causing them to be at high risk for dropping out of school. Most of the families are also experiencing significant economic hardship and additional struggles related to the parents not being afforded educational opportunities; many of them have not completed elementary school and most have not completed high school. Because of these dynamics the families need very intensive accompaniment in order for their children to succeed in school and become emotionally healthy. In response to these needs: * The program provides trained tutors to help students gain increased proficiency in literacy, per the cultivation of second language skills, ESL support and homework help. * The program provides transportation for the children to and from the after-school program as we are based upon serving a specific demographic, at risk immigrant children, rather than children from a neighborhood school. *The program assists in improving the school retention rate for immigrant youth. *Youth are engaged in culturally inclusive social development activities and academic enrichment such as dance, theatre, mindfulness & the arts, Lou City Soccer "On and Off the Pitch" program, games and outings *The program supports positive behaviors due to the integration of instructional approaches that support the social/emotional development of marginalized youth. *The program integrates trauma informed strategies ...immigrant and refugee youth have higher rates of trauma than youth who are not transnational resulting in poor health outcomes. * The program helps families connect with the public school system: registration, accessing school bus, requesting special educational services, signing up for food assistance, signing up for sports * Through close accompaniment, which often involves providing transportation, the program connects families with the supportive services needed to ease resettlement and regain stability. The program is registered with UNITE US, a platform that assists with connecting families with additional resources including the following: Vital medical and psychological services Payment of water, electricity and rent bills to halt eviction Additional resources needed for asylum seekers Funding pathways for immigrants who are relegated to residency restrictions, and limited employment options.