La Casita program marks 10th anniversary with milestone 100,000th visitor

First State Community Action Agency’s La Casita Homework Program, a Georgetown-based after-school program, marked its 10th year with a new milestone: 100,000 student visitors.

It was a milestone reached Dec. 7 when first-grader Elizaida Perez walked through the doors of La Casita center. Perez is one of more than 150 students from Georgetown Elementary, North Georgetown, Georgetown Middle School and Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences who attend the program daily.

Joe McCarron, a retired schoolteacher in the Indian River School District and program coordinator of La Casita, said, “I think it’s quite impressive! Throughout our 10 years of existence, we’ve had so many kids come through our doors that many times to receive our service.”

He says the program has increased tremendously in enrollment since its inception. “We’ve gone from seeing on average 17 students a day to now more than 100,” he said. "We’ve had to run the program in two shifts at two different sites, so that we could service the influx of students.”

The La Casita program provides homework assistance to low-income minority children of non-English-speaking families, most of whom are Hispanic. It began in 2001 as the brainchild of Sister Margaret Gibion, former director of La Casita Outreach Center, who saw a great need for academic assistance for children of immigrant families. Today, the program is administered by First State Community Action Agency and utilizes a team of 11 staff (mostly teachers and professional students) and four volunteers to help students in math, reading, spelling and writing. Volunteers from local high schools and various churches come in to run educational programs and activities.  On Friday afternoons, La Casita switches gears and becomes a 4-H club where the children enjoy a variety of well-rounded, nonacademic enrichment activities.

Bernice Edwards, executive director of First State Community Action Agency, says the La Casita program, like all of its after-school programs, plays an instrumental role in giving children a hand up in the classroom. “Our goal is to close the achievement gap and help level the playing field so at-risk students can get better grades and compete for good jobs,” she says.

To do so, McCarron says the La Casita program addresses and eliminates language barriers, one of the biggest challenges for students and parents.

“Most of the children we serve come from families where their parents do not speak English. Their first language might be Spanish, Burmese, or Creole. When they go home, that’s what they hear, so our children’s English vocabulary is not as strong. That’s where we step in, to help students achieve and to support parents with their involvement in their child’s education.”

Rosenda Domingo of Georgetown is a working mother and member of La Casita’s parents’ association, Familias Unidas de La Casita. Her 9-year old son, McBrian, attends the La Casita program every day.

“My son has been part of La Casita since he was in first grade; now he’s in fourth grade,” she said. “He does homework at La Casita when I am at work because I work night shift. Sometimes I can’t help him with his homework because I don’t understand.”

“La Casita is helpful to kids because Spanish parents - some can’t read English,” she adds. “It’s very important to have La Casita.”

Ludivina Fasano, a teacher’s aide, says La Casita provides an essential and valuable service to both students and parents. “Every now and then we hear from parents and they thank us. The kids succeed, they pass their grades, and everyone is happy,” she said. Fasano says she enjoys teaching the students and hopes that one day the program will expand to help even more kids.

For the ones the program is helping, the outcomes have been positive. Just this year, students’ report card average is about 86.5 (B average in the district). According to program records for the first marking period this year, 33 out of 109 report cards received had at least an 85 in every subject, and more than 60 percent of the children had a B average or better.

Belinda Waples, principal of North Georgetown Elementary, said, “We appreciate our students having the opportunity to be supported academically through the partnership with La Casita.”

“We’ve had a good success rate,” McCarron says. “Our kids' state test scores have been at or above average. North Georgetown, Georgetown Elementary, Georgetown Middle and Sussex Academy are all rated superior schools.  As far as I am aware, every student that has attended La Casita is either presently in school or has graduated from high school. Many are now in college or in a technical school.  I’d like to believe La Casita played an important role in their success.”