Breaking the poverty trap

Los Niños de Leonardo y Meredith is a Massachusetts non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of children living in poverty. The organization is currently operating a free elementary school for 15 children living in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. By providing six hours of classroom education each day, Los Niños is providing the building blocks to help its students achieve their dreams.

Not your typical school

Colegio Los Niños blends the U.S. educational model, curriculum and testing with important Dominican customs and teaching methods. With a 7-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Los Niños can ensure that each child receives adequate personal attention, a necessity when so many of the students have learning disabilities and other social and behevioral problems. And because no child can learn on an empty stomach, Los Niños provides daily breakfast and hot lunch to every student free of charge, prepared by its own full-time-chef.

Why the Dominican Republic?

The Dominican Republic is a land of natural beauty juxtaposed against incredible poverty. In rural areas and small towns like Las Terrenas, public education barely exists and is wholly inadequate. Most parents cannot afford the tuition of private schools, and many cannot afford to purchase the uniforms and supplies necessary for the public schools.

A year completed

On July 20, 2007, the first year of schooling at Colegio Los Niños came to a close and the students embarked on their summer breaks. Directors Anne Post and Philip Jordan were on hand to witness the culmination of a wildly successful year. The students were eager for a break, and with all the hard work and progress they have made, it is well-deserved!

Real progress

When the fifteen students arrived in October, they were a generally shy and timid bunch, never having attended school. Their skills were minimal, and with very few exceptions, none could read or write. Despite their lack of prior education and their social and developmental obstacles, every student can now read, write in plain text and cursive, comprehend basic science, and perform multiple-digit arithmetic. One key to the academic success is the low, 7:1 student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for ample individual instruction and oversight.

In addition to their obvious academic progress, the students are learning important social skills. Though the studies are rigorous at Colegio Los Niños, there is ample time for children to socialize and create strong bonds of friendship with the other students and the teachers. Sometimes after lunch, there is even enough time for the students to hold a dance competition.

The students also seem healthier and happier. Two meals a day, a low student-to-teacher ratio, a safe and secure learning environment, and positive social interactions have already made a huge difference in the lives of these special children.