After school, students come for help with creative writing and their schoolwork -- yes, it is a tutoring center. Eight twenty-six Valencia is located in a mostly Latino neighborhood. Ms. Lehman says many of the children are from
immigrant
families.
LEIGH LEHMAN: "A lot of the parents don't speak English as a first language so it's harder for them to help their children with school work. So we're trying to provide the services that parents wouldn't otherwise be able to offer their kids for free."
Each 826 center around the country has a different theme -- from a pirate store in San Francisco to a store for "spies" in Chicago.
The national chief executive, Gerald Richards, says budget cuts in public schools mean less money for arts education. And as that goes away, he says, so does the ability for students to use their imagination.
GERALD RICHARDS: "I think there is much more of a focus on science, technology, engineering and math. There's a lot of a focus on testing and a lot of the teaching that's going on in schools is focusing on the test and passing the test rather than thinking about how do we get kids to think."
Mr. Richards points out that thinking creatively is also important in the sciences. And knowing how to write well will help students get to college and beyond.
GERALD RICHARDS: "For jobs and employers and just any, really every subject, it's the ability to communicate well really does open a lot of doors."
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25