YSPANIOLA INCORPORATED

Yspaniola's Learning Center, which includes a community Library and Youth Tutoring program, provides education to youth aged 7 to 18 in Batey Libertad, a marginalized community in the agricultural heart of the Dominican Republic. The batey is home to Dominicans, Haitians and many children born in the Dominican Republic to parents of Haitian descent. We also provide small-group instruction and Spanish literacy support for children in the community, including those who speak Haitian Creole as their first language.

We strongly believe in the power of reading and the central role of literacy skills in the academic success and well-rounded personal growth of children. Through this program we aim to support children through their primary and secondary schooling, thus lowering drop out rates in the community and promoting a culture of reading.

Each morning, Yspaniola provides classes for our Kindergarten group of 4-year-olds. In the Dominican Republic, the public school system starts at 5 year-olds, with Pre-Primario. However, early childhood development studies have found that the critical stage of human development is much before, and the earlier we start building skills in children, the stronger these skills will grow in time.

We also provide literacy-focused tutoring classes to Pre-Primary and Primary students aged 5-7 years old with the aim of equipping them early on with the best tools for academic success throughout the rest of their education.

Since Fall 2015, Yspaniola has been running a Food Program for students. We provide healthy lunch boxes to Learning Center students to support their learning and incentivize class attendance.

This was in response to a need in Batey Libertad, where many families struggle to provide their children with adequate nutrition. Students who attend the Learning Center for classes receive healthy lunch boxes such as hardboiled eggs, sandwiches, bananas and water or oatmeal before their classes. Our program aims to both curb food insecurity for our preschoolers and also incentivize daily attendance at our classes. Providing a daily snack is valuable for our students and their parents alike.

A daily nutritious healthy lunchbox helps our students to retain information and progress faster during the academic year.