Program Spotlight

Literacy in Focus at FIU-ENLACE

Nicole Castillo, a fourth grader enrolled in the FIU-ENLACE after-school program at Coral Park Elementary, uses her computer mouse to track the string of vocabulary words – “jump, jowl, sigh, shot” – flashing on the screen in front of her.

Concentrated on the prompts in her headphones, she listens to hear the right word, and then clicks. “It’s a lot of fun. I like reading this way,” Castillo said, a big grin on her face.

(L-R) Bonafacios Ramos, ENLACE fitness instructor, Rep. Luz Arce, Manuel Arroyo, Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, Exec. Director Elizabeth Burgos, Policy Assoc. Rhina Villatoro and Rep. Minnie Gonzalez

Strengthening reading and improving literacy is a major aim of FIU-ENLACE, which is funded by The Children’s Trust, and a big reason why members of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators visited the SW Miami elementary school on Tuesday, March 24, to observe its after-school program. The Miami visit, which included a stop the previous day at Charles H. Hadley Elementary School in NW Miami, also an ENLACE site, was part of a national tour of school programs and a fact-finding mission for the group.

The Caucus plans to draft a policy paper of educational recommendations to present to the new administration as it prepares to revise No Child Left Behind, the current national education model. The policy paper is expected to be ready by the end of the summer, explained Elizabeth Burgos, executive director for NHCSL at its Washington, D.C. office.
 
“We have to lend a helping hand to the next generation. We have to empower these young Latinos,” said Burgos. She emphasized the high drop-out rate of Hispanics around the country and explained that ENLACE programs around the country provide services especially for low-income Hispanic children. The organization’s ultimate goal is to keep kids in school and to get them on to college.

Keeping them in school has a lot to do with providing learning opportunities both during the school day – and afterwards – that engage students. These children need to have the skills to keep up with their peers. Children whose native language is not English or who have learning disabilities too often fall behind in their reading and then experience problems in other subjects.    
 
ENLACE is especially designed for students who are reading below grade level. For the two hours after-school, the children move between different stations. Half their time is dedicated to strengthening literacy skills and half to improving fitness and social skills. Students stay with the same instructors as they progress in the program. 

Two ENLACE Coral Park students demonstrate the  "talking stick" exercise while Exec. Director Burgos and Rep. Minnie Gonzalez observe.

While there are 400 students enrolled in the after-school program at Coral Park, 40 are in the FIU-ENLACE program. The program was launched in 2000 in Miami by Executive Director Francisco Fins.

“I saw ENLACE as an opportunity to help kids. We’ve been fine-tuning our program over the past eight years, and now we have a model that really works,” he said. Fins, who grew up in Miami and as a child lived across the street from Coral Park Elementary School, explained that while each ENLACE site works to strengthen literacy and fitness, each site is unique in its own way. Some also include theater and drama or some other special skill or interest. 

FIU-ENLACE, which has received Children’s Trust support for the past four years, provides services this year at seven after-school and summer program sites in different areas of the county.  

An accounting major with a background in business, Fins bring strong marketing and organizational skills to the ENLACE program. He contacted the Hispanic Caucus group who eagerly accepted his invitation to visit the Miami sites.  

In addition to Director Burgos, the visiting legislators included Rhina Villatoro, policy and administrative associate from Washington, D.C.; Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, of Connecticut; Sen. Luz Arce, of Puerto Rico; Sen. Richard Miranda, of Arizona, and Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, of New York.

Coral Park Principal María Nuñez met with the NHCSL group in her office. She and Juan Diaz, the director of the after-school program, briefed the legislators on the positive impact of FIU-ENLACE at the school. A small reception – flan, fresh fruit, jelly beans and café cubano – was provided in their honor. Each of the members was presented with a coconut, painted and crafted by the children in the program to resemble a tropical fish.

The group then toured the after-school program. On the outside playground, fitness director Bonifacios Ramos led the children – and a few of the legislators – in an upbeat exercise routine. The children then demonstrated a talking circle, where they are prompted to talk spontaneously about a subject, each taking turns to listen, and then talk. The exercise improves their communication skills. 

Inside, the legislators visited the “Read 180” station, where Nicole Castillo and other students practiced reading skills on their computers. Each child has a user name and password and the system monitors their progress. Students work at their own pace, when they finish one lesson, they ask supervisor Jose Peña for a new CD and continue their reading exercises. 

In another reading station, small groups of students worked closely with certified reading instructors, like Lazaro Valdes. Valdes, who’s been with ENLACE for several years, is completing his masters in education. He read to the group and then facilitated a fun, spirited conversation. The children all participated and questions fired out from all sides – about the new words, the characters and the plot of the story.

“We’re really impressed with this program,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, as she prepared to leave the school with the other Hispanic legislators. “The teachers are like a family – they’re the key. You can see that they really care.”

Article written by Michael R. Malone