(Photo provided by El Centro)
By Sophie Lange, Features Editor
Among the many community service opportunities organized by the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College is El Centro, an afterschool program that aims to provide enrichment to the lives of local elementary school students by offering academic support, mentorship and opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. Each individual is paired with a Gettysburg College student, known as a “tutor.” The tutors meet with the children once a week for the entire semester, and often, the tutor-student pairs form a bond. According to El Centro Program Coordinator Isleen Justo-Sainz ’25, the majority of the elementary school students participating in El Centro are Latinx and are the children of immigrants or come from low-income households.
“El Centro serves as a huge help to parents who are not able to pick up their kids right away because they are working and provide kids with help in their academics,” said Justo-Sainz.
(Photo provided by El Centro)
Earlier this year, Gettysburg College was the recipient of a $1.2 million 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant given by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The grant, which aims to provide enrichment in the areas of academics, art and culture, was awarded to give the campus the ability to establish a community learning center that increases opportunities for bilingual learning for underserved students and families in the Adams County area. Through this initiative, the Gettysburg 21st Century Community Learning Center will work with local partners, including Vida Charter School, the Spanish department, and the Innovation and Creativity Lab, to provide greater resources to local families. Because of this grant, El Centro was able to greatly expand its efforts.
Thanks to the grant, the College will now hold an afterschool program both on campus and at Vida Charter School. The program will also have the funding to provide additional resources for the students, including better supplies, more educational games, and off-campus field trip opportunities. The Community Learning Center provides an improved curriculum for the children to receive more practice or assistance in certain subjects, such as reading and mathematics.
Previously, El Centro ran Monday to Thursday for an hour and a half, but with the grant funding, the program is now able to run Monday through Friday. Similar to prior years, the children will still receive a healthy snack provided by the South Central Community Action Programs each day. Because the goal of the program is to increase literacy in both Spanish and English, the majority of activities after homework are designed to assist the children in reading and writing in Spanish. They play games, do crafts, and attend field trips to places on campus.
(Photo provided by El Centro)
Of El Centro, Justo-Sainz said, “I think it is an extremely important program because it allows the kids to imagine themselves in higher education, and now that this is a possibility for them, as many of these students will be first-generation College students.”
The campus community is very involved with the program. El Centro typically works with the Spanish Department to ensure they have enough volunteers since Gettysburg students can use their time volunteering with the program as a fourth-hour credit. That being said, any student can volunteer with El Centro, and it is not limited to those majoring in Spanish or taking a Spanish course. Beginning this semester, Gettysburg students have the option to volunteer either on campus or at Vida Charter School. The program also utilizes on-campus spaces such as the planetarium and the Schmucker Art Gallery. For example, El Centro took a trip to the Painted Turtle Farm on campus last fall, where they collaborated with volunteers at the farm to teach the children about plants. In addition to these trips, El Centro volunteers plan and host Halloween and Christmas parties for the children each year in the Office of Multicultural Engagement’s basement.
“I wish more people knew how much of an impact the tutors make on the children,” said Justo-Sainz. “They remember [their tutor’s] name and always ask about them if one day they can’t show up. It is an extremely fun and uplifting community that helps these kids imagine themselves in higher education, as there is a lack of representation for students of color in the higher education space.”
Justo-Sainz also explained that, being a first-generation Latina College student herself, her role as the program coordinator allows the children to envision themselves in leadership positions and know that they are able to become leaders within the community.
Justo-Sainz said of her role in El Centro, “Although the role is time-consuming, I can honestly say there is never a day I dread going to El Centro because I love all the kids. Whenever I’m feeling homesick or having a stressful day, they always have something funny to say that makes my day. I love watching them be curious and learn new things and I hope I make an impact on their lives just as much as they have on mine.”
This article originally appeared on pages 12 and 13 of the No. 1 October 2024 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
