DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE
WHERE/WHEN APPLICABLE

DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE:
People of all ages need access to education. Other types of learning opportunities must complement formal public and private school systems, which educate children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. For school-aged youth, these opportunities include experiential outdoor education, after-school learning activities, tutoring in formal academic subjects, and informal access to computers. Pre-school children also require learning centers that can accommodate their needs.

Adults' needs for education are sometimes overlooked. Many adult immigrant residents want to learn English and require English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. Others wish to learn a language other than English. Other residents want to earn a high school or college degree. Still others desire education in specific topics such as the arts, formal academic and administrative subjects, landscaping, CPR, health, and computing. 

A rich urban community will offer a range of opportunities for learning outside the formal daytime school environment. 

Back to top


WHERE/ WHEN APPLICABLE:
Pre-schools:
In 2002, Roslindale residents identified a lack of pre-school and after school activities as a major problem in their community. A number of small day-care facilities are scattered throughout the Heart of the City, with a large center in the Walnut neighborhood on Crawford Street called the Crispus Attucks Children's Center and another in the area of Dorchester north of Talbot Avenue and east of Franklin Park called the Salvation Army Children's Learning Center. 

After-school activities:
Organizations that offer after-school options to school-aged youth include City of Boston community centers, the Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club on Talbot Avenue at Franklin Field, Boston Housing Authority Youth Centers, the YMCA at Egleston Square, Lena Park Community Development Corporation, and the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. Local churches also often provide activities for youth and sometimes offer tutoring.

Informal activities:
The Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum offers a free one-room museum and bookshop relating to trees, ecology, and the Arnold Arboretum for visitors and special school groups. The Arnold Arboretum and certain sections of Franklin Park are living botanical classrooms. The scientific and common names of trees and shrubs hang from branches or are mounted onto tree trunks in the park. The Franklin Park Zoo and the National Museum of Afro-American Artists in Roxbury also offer informal learning opportunities for youth and adults.

Language training:
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are available at some City community centers, including the center associated with English High School. Training in languages other than English is available at a private school in Roslindale Village called Boston School for Modern Languages, which is located near the commuter rail station.

Other training and skills:
Training in various types of visual art is available at the Eliot Street School of Fine and Applied Arts. The Mother Caroline Academy and Education Center teaches academic and life skills to adults, as well as to children. Classes cover topics ranging from basic reading and writing to specialized computer skills. Some community centers also offer computer courses geared for adults.

Few opportunities for formal education for adults exist in the Heart of the City, although formal academic and management classes are available at nearby Roxbury Community College. Landscape design courses are available at the Arnold Arboretum. Local community health clinics, organizations such as the Haitian Public Health Initiative in Mattapan, and churches such as the Faithful Church of Christ in Dorchester offer health education to local residents. Several of the local Community Development Corporations (CDCs) offer job training courses and classes for first-time homeowners.

Back to top