Integral Education

The Smart Growth Study showed how education facilities have been lacking for some time, but especially so during the past five years because of the increase in migrant workers who have been bringing their families with them. There are not enough classrooms to service the youth population. It was found that more than 50% of the community has an education level no higher than primary. Many children are forced to leave school because their family cannot afford it and they, or their mothers, need to work.

In addition to the lack of infrastructure, the quality of the education in the area is below the national average. Children go to school only three-to-four hours a day and only 68% of Mexican children complete nine years of education. Quality of education as well as academic improvement needs to be part of our scope.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Classroom Construction

During 2009, The Foundation obtained founding to provide four new classrooms to two different schools. Two were built at the Kindergarten of Emiliano Zapata and benefitted the 90 children that attend. The other two were built at the primary school of Emiliano Zapata with a total population of 245 students.

We also funded PEACE'S Casa Comunidad project that offers an after school program that provides children a safe, fun and productive environment in which to spend their afternoons. Children that participate in these programs have decreased a 35% increase in education as well as academic improvement. It provides children and adults with programs and opportunities to develop the necessary skills to be successful, positive contributors to their multi-cultural environment as well as help give access to better job opportunities where bilingual staff is required. 

Scholarship Program

The Punta de Mita Foundation, with help of Becas Vallarta, started two years ago a scholarship program for children in the area to attend Costa Verde International School. This is a private bilingual primary school between Sayulita and Punta Mita focused on teaching art, culture, environmental sustainability so children can embrace ecological responsibility as a part of all their classroom learning.  By supporting this program we are giving children the opportunity to have a better quality of education than will open doors to their future.
Alex & Luis will be enjoying their second year in CVIS but we have others that would like to have this opportunity and we welcome Juan Manuel as new sponsored child.  Juan Manuel has started his first year at Costa Verde!

FOR 2010 WE WILL FOCUS IN SUPPORTING THE KINDER GARTEN AT RISK....

Although all the schools need support, this year we are concentrating our efforts at the Kindergarten at Corral del Risco which is the one in the worse condition. The project is being lead by a Punta Mita resident Beth Fuller, a member of our Education Committee, who has been a Kindergarten teacher in Guildford Connecticut, and comes with 16 years of experience and two Master´s degrees.

Businesses in the community donated paint and new windows. New cabinets were made, floors were re-tiled, new paint inside and out, and most importantly, an additional classroom, which formerly housed junk, was cleaned out and transformed into a beautiful classroom for the younger children.  A smaller, junk closet was also transformed into a beautiful new up-and-coming library. 

The children arrived on August 23, 2010 to a beautiful new classroom filled with Lego’s, dramatic play corner, wooden building blocks, puzzles, math manipulatives and a lot more.  Rosa, the only teacher that has to attend 35 children of different ages,  received new whiteboards, tables and chairs, cabinets for organizing, much needed supplies and a desk.  There were smiles on everyone's faces.

The Corral Kinder project is off to a great start, but to assure success, we are moving to a second phase of the project where more funding is needed. There is need to set up an after school program where children can have the opportunity to watch videos and read books instead of hanging-out on the street. The school needs a television, educational DVDs and more books for the library.  Setting up this program is not only good for children but also helpful for their families.  In most families where Mom has to work to fulfill the minimum income needed for families, older siblings have been forced to step out from school and take care of the younger children. We hope their reality will now change.

We are also designing a volunteer program for Mothers, like Eva (whose son is being sponsored by the Foundation to attend Costa Verde International School) that want to help Rosa with the younger children.  This part of the program will empowered the community to take care of their own children and assure the sustainability of the project. We also hope to involve some of the elders in the community, to provide volunteer service and network with the children.