By Tonya Whitaker
NDG Staff Writer
Does your school-age child need remedial instruction that goes beyond classroom learning? Are you a college student who is struggling with college algebra or statistics?
Help is available through a program called Access!. Created in 2009, the nonprofit program offers free English and Language Arts and math tutoring to economically disadvantaged kindergarten through 12th grade students and first-generation (Gen 1) college and university students in several subjects, including sociology, political science and literature.
According to an October 2010 report issued by the Association of Texas Professional Educators, minority, low-performing and economically disadvantaged kids are getting the short end of the stick in education, mainly because teacher quality is not at the same standard as wealthier school districts. The program’s organizers see this as a problem, and feels compelled to help close the education gap.
Gen 1 college students, especially minorities, sometime lack the support system to complete their degree. According to Education Trust, 43 percent of underrepresented minority groups (African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans) complete a bachelor’s degree in less than six years. The rate for nonwhites is 60 percent.
This summer, the program will hold its inaugural free summer one-on-one tutoring program for K-8 students who live in Plano on Monday, June 13. The program will run through Aug. 18. All tutoring sessions will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the students’ nearest Plano Public Library or by appointment between the program director and the student’s parents or guardian.
Plano Public Library is only a meeting point for students to learn in a quiet and safe environment. The program is not a partnership between Access! and the Plano Public Library system. Applications for tutoring sessions are ongoing; parents and students interested in the summer program must apply by Friday, April 29.
Access! is an outreach program of Emanuel and The Mainline Ministries, a 501 (c) (3) charity organization. Students residing in Denton, Collin and Dallas counties may apply services. For more information, call 469-247-5478 or visit www.access2011.org.
