The Magic School Bus

Year: 2011
Country: Dominican Republic
Project Status: Funded
Impact Sector: Education
Project Investment: $500.00

Project Launch:

At the entrance of Batey 7, a neighborhood of the Dominican Republic, there is a dilapidated school bus. The youth and parents of Batey 7 set about to convert this eye sore into an afterschool tutoring center in which struggling students between the ages of 5 and 14 could receive needed additional classroom time and help. The community school in the area serves over 400 first to eight grade students with a student to teacher ratio of 40:1. This overcrowded environment paired with an abbreviated four hour school day, made it difficult for teachers to attend to students in need of extra help. In addition, because the average parent in the community never completed the second grade, it was often difficult for students to find homework help at home. With no outside help available, many students found themselves falling behind and never able to catch-up with their classmates. A World Connect grant through the Kids to Kids Program helped renovate the “Magic School Bus” and turned the drab school bus into a fun and innovative learning environment that provides additional attention to struggling students.