Los Ayudantes

The 2008-09 School Year has begun...

And we are now working
with over 90 students each week.

You can help us fulfill our mission
by volunteering to become
a Los Ayudantes Tutor!

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Become a "Helper" - Join Los Ayudantes!

Since its creation in 2002 by concerned Silicon Valley residents, Los Ayudantes ("The Helpers") has become a vibrant community of local educators, professionals and activists working closely with teachers and administrators in the Redwood City Public Schools to provide English language tutoring and cultural literacy mentoring to Latino youth, age 9 - 13.

Nearly two-thirds of students in the Redwood City schools are Latino, half of which are classified as "English Language Learners"--meaning English is not the primary language spoken at home. Furthermore, according to US Census data, the community we serve has the highest poverty level in the Mid-Peninsula Region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is our mission to work closely with the Redwood City schools to provide effective, small-group English language tutoring--both during school and after school hours--to give these children the best possible preparation for future academic success and ultimately the foundation for happy, productive lives. We value these students as members of our communities and we believe that they will reach their highest potential through the acquisition of English language proficiency.

Through our Book Club, Drama Club and Poetry Club programs, we help recent immigrant students as well as other English Language Learners to strengthen their English literacy skills by engaging them in age-level and skill-level appropriate stories--inspiring them to gain proficiency reading, writing, speaking and even performing in English. We also work to strengthen their cultural literacy, introducing them to the wealth of opportunities available to them as they mature into adulthood via field-trips to local colleges--including Redwood City's own Cañada College--and to our exciting and mind-expanding neighbor to the north--the city of San Francisco.

We are always looking for more tutors and donors to support our work with these young Latino learners. So please take a look around our website and consider joining us in this very important work.

If you would like to become a donor and help cover the costs of our operating expenses, you may donate securely via Credit Card here. To join our volunteer team of tutors, please contact our Program Director, James McElroy, at jmcelroy.losayudantes@gmail.com or 650-793-3221.

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Our Mission: To tutor and mentor Latino students in the classrooms of the Redwood City public schools in order to develop and strengthen their English language proficiency and U.S. cultural literacy.

We value these students as members of our communities, and we believe that English language proficiency and U.S. cultural literacy are necessary for them they to reach their highest potential.