Sept. 24, 2002

Contact: Rose Foster, KU Strategic Learning Center, (785) 331-3236.

KU Strategic Learning Center adds Spanish classes for children grades 1-3

LAWRENCE -- The KU Strategic Learning Center, a nonprofit service to strengthen study skills for all ages, has added introductory Spanish courses for children grades one through three to its courses for October.

The center's office and classes are on the basement level of the educational wing of Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 New Hampshire.

In addition to introductory Spanish I and II, the center offers vocabulary building for children in grades one and two; introduction to building basic math skills for children in kindergarten and first grade; and building basic math skills for second- and third-grade students. Tutoring for geometry and algebra is available on an ongoing basis.

The center charges $35 for a month's worth of weekly evening classes. Scholarships are available, and there is a discount for KU staff, faculty and students.

Now in its third year of operation, the center developed as part of the Smarttogether Strategic Learning Network, the result of an alliance between Casey Family Programs and the KU Center for Research on Learning. In January 2002, the center received a $45,000 grant from the Sabatini Family Foundation.

Lisa Walsh, center program director, said that unlike traditional tutoring methods, which can create dependence on tutors, the strategic learning model developed at the KU Center for Research on Learning promotes independence.

KU students, many from the School of Education, teach the center's courses. Walsh said the center's courses and tutoring supplement what children receive in the classroom. The center tutors can provide personal attention that may not be possible in large classrooms.

Jennie Sichter, a fourth-year senior in education, will be teaching the beginning Spanish courses at the center in October. Sichter is the daughter of James and Sheri Sichter, Overland Park. She first studied Spanish as a senior at Blue Valley High School and since has taken college courses Spanish.

"We had about 200 students enroll in classes last year either in classes or in one-on-one tutoring," said Rose Foster, administrative coordinator. Although the center focuses on grades K-12, a pre-kindergarten child enrolled to learn letter and color recognition, and college students frequently enroll in one-on-one tutoring for algebra and geometry.

Next month, other classes will be offered, possibly time management -- to help youngsters organize their homework -- as well as basic math and reading for K-12 students.

The center, funded by a Casey Family Foundation grant, opened in summer 2000. In 2001, a downturn in the economy forced the Casey Foundation to retract its initial $1 million grant. When the center began searching for office space to continue to serve students in Lawrence, Trinity Lutheran Church offered office and classroom space for a nominal fee, and the center moved to the church in December 2001.

For more information about the center or to enroll in classes, please contact the KU Strategic Learning Center at (785) 331-3236.