Central Los Angeles : Literacy Group Plans Centers at 4 Schools

Centro Latino de Educacion Popular announced plans Wednesday for four new inner-city literacy centers that will be housed in elementary schools.

The centers will be at Union Avenue Elementary in Westlake, Norwood Street Elementary in South Los Angeles, and Rosemont Avenue Elementary and Betty Plasencia Elementary, both in Echo Park.

Centro teaches basic reading and writing skills in Spanish to Latino adults who have grown up illiterate in their primary language, said Marcos Cajina, executive director of the nonprofit program.

“Once they go through this program,” Cajina said, “they are more able to go into an English as a second language program.”

Taking a family-based approach, the centers offer free literacy classes for parents. Once they master reading and writing, parents are taught how to share the information with their children.

Students also are encouraged to join support groups to discuss broader issues such as tenant rights and crime, Cajina said.

To recruit students, Cajina said that Centro workers will go door to door in the neighborhoods around the new sites. “Traditionally, the illiterate are not willing to admit in public that they can’t read and write,” Cajina said.

The next series of classes begins in November, Cajina said.