ESCUELA DE SAN FRANCISCO DE PENAS BLANCAS

Description of location: This public school located in a rural area, close to the border, where the students come from different social backgrounds but mostly middle and lower middle class. Ages vary from 4 and 3 months to 12 years and the school years are prekindergarten (the children from 3 to 5 months have a code), kindergarten, preschool and the 1st to 6th years of elementary school. Unlike schools in the city, this school is run by very few staff members and teachers. They are: 23 administrative members and teachers, 196 families, and 247 children. The school’s curriculum and activities normally cover all the general “basic” subjects, such as Spanish language, Science, Social Studies and Mathematics. On top of these subjects most of them offer English as a second language, Physical Education, and Computer Science. As a consequence many of the volunteers are asked to help with the English as a second language classes (even if they are not native speakers as these classes would be at a basic level) or with the physical education classes. Sometimes, if the volunteer has some special knowledge or skills - such as music, art or sports - and if the school agrees, then they can organize their own activities. Additionally, the project requires the volunteer to balance in-class work with outdoors activities that benefit the community and the school, such as growing crops, gardening, maintenance work, reforestation, among others. The school owns an eco-farm called “Tierra Prometida”, where they work in all the previous activities, and students from every level take care of it in different days of the week. Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:00 am - 2:00 pm