El Centro

Pre-k education: established in 1989, El Centro's nationally accredited (through naeyc - the national association for the education of young children) our academy for children prepares 2 1/2 - 5-year-old children through its quality, dual-language early childhood education program, with a special emphasis on literacy, reading readiness and numeracy. With almost 30 years of experience, our pre-k program focuses on building a strong foundation for children--specifically those who are english-language-learners-to become life-long learners. The academy for children also provides monthly "family nights" to teach parents on how to better work with their children on tying lessons learned at the academy with their home life. See schedule o.workshops at the academy also give families support and resources for meaningful educational experiences at home. The academy helps families foster the language and early literacy skills that children need to become strong readers and lifelong learners.

Economic empowerment & assistance services: the economic empowerment program serves low-/moderate-income families and individuals throughout the Kansas city metropolitan area with financial literacy education. The program provides group and individual education of money management (e.g., budgeting, savings, and asset-building). Individual assistance and counseling in money management issues are offered, along with free volunteer income tax assistance (vita) and itin applications.

Health related services: complementary programs ranging from health focus outreach and intervention, working with under-/uninsured, interpreting services, billing questions, finding specialty care, medicine vouchers through kc medicine cabinet, client advocacy, and patient navigation providing services to strengthen the family. Specifically, our health-focused outreach and intervention program trains community volunteer lay health promoters (promotoras de salud) in health issues concerning the community. They provide basic health information, disseminate materials related to creating a "culture of health" through healthy eating, exercise, and other opportunities to access healthcare. See schedule o.health-focused events. Our health navigation program focuses on providing access to healthcare among the un-/underinsured population by creating informal contacts with other medical providers and human service agencies to assist clients and remove barriers to healthcare access. These integrated programs assist families with non-clinical medical needs, educate families about healthy lifestyles and healthy communities, and empower families to build strong foundations for their future.

Accomplishments include policy advocacy and property management services. Policy advocacy emphasizes public policy research and advocacy at local, state, and national levels, including educating people on registering to vote and the voting process. Property management services include utilizing excess building space to produce income through rental agreements and encourages collaborations with other like-minded not-for-profit and for-profit entities.