Program overview

We strongly believe that one of the most powerful tools to break the cycle of poverty is education. If we can educate this generation of children, it will open the door of opportunity in their life that looks much different than that of their parents and grandparents. We offer education reinforcement programs for children beginning at the age of three and will continue to help students through high school and into college.

There are currently nearly 200 children enrolled in our education programs. We are continuously looking to accommodate more children in the program.

All of our programs are incentive driven. The children work hard in the programs and homework assignments, and in doing so they receive points. They accumulate points throughout the month for our “store” that is open one day per month.  The children can redeem their points by buying candy, toys, games, clothing, hygiene items, etc,. They understand that at the end of the day, they worked hard and earned whatever they bought.

PRESCHOOL

Children can enter the preschool program at 3 years old and can stay enrolled until the age of 6. This early stimulation program began after recognizing that many children were completely unprepared to go into kindergarten. In Costa Rica preschool, the children essentially have two years of kindergarten before entering first grade, neither of which are required by law. If children were not going to either of those two years of kinder, they were even further behind when entering first grade. They didn’t have the skills to hold pencils properly, use scissors, or the basic knowledge and recognition of numbers and letters. This program is held once a day Mondays through Thursdays for one hour and consists of a time to sing songs, story time, an activity or craft to enhance fine motor skills, and playtime at the end. The idea is that these children will be more than prepared to enter kindergarten and on par with students from everywhere else in the city. We have already seen success with this program as children are advancing out of the preschool program and into the next level of programming earlier than expected in several cases.

Pre-Readers

The pre-reader program is for children in first grade and up. This has been expanded to included children that are younger, but advanced enough to begin to learn how to read. This takes place in a one-on-one setting where someone from our education staff will sit with a child in pre-readers for ten minutes and work through syllables, the formation of words, and basic sentences. Children build the foundation of reading through this program.  The mark of success in this program has been the fact that the target age of this program has dropped from fifth graders to first graders since the mission has been open. Many parents in Bajo Tejares are illiterate. We are changing that pattern with this generation.

Fluency

After children are able to read on their own, they advance to the fluency reading program. This takes place in a one-on-one setting where someone from our education staff will sit with a child and listen to them read a passage in a one to two minute time period. All exercises are timed and the staff is listening for how fluently the child is able to read the passage and how many mistakes they are making. Additionally, we are tracking the pace at which they are reading and if they are improving their reading speed. The children are tested at the beginning of each year to determine their initial level and are tested again at the end of the year to evaluate what progress has been made.

MATH

One of the most common subjects for students to struggle with is math. We rotate the children through three different math exercises. The first is timed mulitplication table exercises, the second is math flashcards, and the third is word problems in the math workbook. For the multiplication table and flashcard exercises, the children will sit one on one with someone from our education staff and work through as many as possible in a three minute period. We record how many they are getting right and wrong each time to track progress. When the children have to work through the math workbook, they are assigned a page to work on and bring their answers to a staff member to be reviewed. Then, the staff will go over any errors with the children as necessary.

English

Our English Institute offers  classes for  beginners, intermediate, and advanced students, both youth and adults. Our instructor has a degree in teaching English.  Nearly all Costa Rican students study English in the public schools, but that instruction falls woefully short of achieving basic conversational skills In addition, because it is required instruction, the students often are not very motivated to excel.  The students who voluntarily register for our English classes, however, are eager to learn.  English speaking volunteers who come to the mission are welcome to assist with the English classes.

Homework Help

One of the most advantageous services we offer at the mission is homework help for all students of all ages, regardless of whether they are enrolled in our programs. Many of our students cannot expect to receive reliable assistance from their parents due to the very high rate of illiteracy. We offer them another option than simply not doing it because they don’t have help at home. Our teachers spend several hours each day helping students of all ages and grades with homework. This assistance is in high demand when students are preparing for exams. Many of our former students currently enrolled in university classes have stated that they wouldn’t have made it to that point without the help they received through the mission.

LIBRARY

 In early 2023, we completed the construction of a new library at the mission.  This freed up a classroom to accommodate other educational needs.  The library has a wide selection of books from which children can choose a book to suit their interests.  It has a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for the children to read with minimal distractions.  In the early days of our education program reading was required of every child that came into the mission.  That program, combined with our early reading and  fluency programs, raised the reading capabilities of our students to the point that the mandatory reading was no longer necessary.  We still encourage frequent reading, however, to continuously improve this valuable skill.  We periodically form a small group of students as a Reading Club to share a particular book which enhances both fluency and comprehension.This section is located under Ministry