$70,000 in Grants Aid Learning Center

The PUENTE Learning Center, which aims to improve literacy among children and adults, recently received $70,000 in grants for a preschool program and for new office and classroom equipment.

PUENTE, which stands for People United to Enrich the Neighborhood Through Education, received a $20,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank for its readiness program for children ages 3 to 5, and a $50,000 grant from the UPS Foundation, which will be used to buy a new copy machine, a multipurpose vehicle and computer software.

Housed in temporary quarters at 501 S. Boyle Ave., the learning center enrolls more than 1,000 students ages 3 to 87, spokeswoman Amanda K. Fernandez said. Plans are under way to raise money to construct permanent buildings at the site.

The students are enrolled in five programs--the readiness program, which teaches reading and writing through computers and activities to 70 preschoolers; an adult education program that teaches Spanish literacy as well as English as a Second Language; a high school tutorial that pairs students with adult mentors; an after-school program for latchkey children, and an adults’ job-training program that includes instruction in computer skills, interviewing techniques and resume preparation.

The adult programs are offered at no cost. The readiness program charges $50 per semester.

All students in the programs, which are funded by donations from corporations, foundations and individuals, work on computers in some capacity, said Assistant Director Luis Marquez.

“The rewards of seeing how the students react to learning on the computer is my motivation,” he said. “They know that the computers are the ‘now’ technology and that they need to learn English; they need to learn how to use the computers and they need to get their high school diplomas.”