Children’s Summer Enrichment Program at Cerritos College Grows to Serve 7,000

There was a chorus of crying from some of the small children taking their first plunge into one of the two outdoor pools at Cerritos College.

Carlos Hernandez, 3, wanted no part of the water, despite reassurances from his swimming instructor and the presence of his father, Cesar Hernandez, of Norwalk.

In a nearby classroom, Tony Borriboonratana, 9, prepared to start his Basic Math II course. A fifth grade student at Wittmann Elementary School in the ABC Unified School District, Tony said the summer classes help him improve his grades during the regular school year. This is his second year.

“At first, my mom made me come. Now, I have fun because I get good grades (during regular school),” the fifth-grade student said.

Carlos and Tony are among an estimated 7,000 children attending the CARES (Cultural, Academic, Recreational, Enrichment, Science) program, which started June 25 and runs for six weeks on the 135-acre college campus in Norwalk.

The college has sponsored the program, the largest of its kind in the area, for about 10 years, said coordinator Ilean Rabens. Participants range in age from 2 to their teens.

The self-supporting program is run by the college’s Community Services Division, which provides a variety of non-credit courses for fees. Participants pay fees ranging from $22 for tennis lessons to $120 for a five-day field trip to the Santa Ana Zoo. Several hundred courses and activities are offered, including math and science classes, and violin, swimming, ballet and modeling lessons.

“We don’t make any money, but we fulfill the mission of the college, which is to serve the community, the entire family,” Rabens said.

College President Ernest A. Martinez said the program “is successful because it brings the community to the campus. Children are introduced to the college and we hope they will see it as part of their future.”

Martinez said the program does not present any conflict with the regular college schedule since less than half of the college’s 22,000 regular students attend summer classes.

About 100 teachers, many of them from area high schools, are hired to teach more than 300 classes. Class sizes range from 10 to 15 students.

The program is also popular with parents.

“I’m very pleased with the program’s results. The classes are small. The teachers are enthusiastic and highly motivated,” said Joyce Hunt, whose daughter Joi-Lin, 13, and son Randall, 11, attend math classes. And her children’s grades have improved during the regular school year, she said.

A substitute teacher, Hunt said she and her husband, an accountant, are willing to pay for the classes because the children’s grades improve during the regular school session. The Paramount Unified School District in which the family lives, like most districts, does not offer these courses.

“These are enrichment classes. We could only send them to our own district summer session if they were failing or needed credit,” Hunt said.

“We don’t have enrichment programs. The state won’t pay for them,” Paramount Unified School District Supt. Richard B. Caldwell said.

The program raised $368,000 last year. Officials expect nearly $400,000 in revenue this year. There is no profit because all of the money is used for expenses, officials said. The money is used to pay the salaries of the instructors, several registrars and purchase supplies.