Dominican Republic: Park Care Center Caraballo
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HOME

LOCATION
The Park Care Center in Caraballo serves an incredibly impoverished community of Haitians and Dominicans who work around the sugar cane fields on the North Coast. Most children come from broken families and are at risk for under-education, mal-nutrition, discrimination, and various types of exploitation. Many of the children’s parents cannot read or write and many of the Haitian parents only speak Creole. The care center is located on the property of Villa Ascension—a group of basic block homes given to impoverished families with multiple children by another ministry.

HISTORY
The Park Care Center in Caraballo began as a Kids Alive Program in September of 2005. Under the leadership of director Alberto Polanco, the care center opened with a staff of eight teachers, assistants, and cooks and 65 students ranging from 5-14 years old. In January of 2006, we added a four year old class and a second class for first through third grade students. The center now has 115 students attending daily.

PROGRAM
Academically, the care center focuses on basic education skills such as pre-reading, reading, and math. Spiritually, each student participates in a daily devotion or lesson as the basis of teaching a moral foundation. Also, each student receives his or her primary meal in the center at lunchtime. This often consists of rice and beans, some salad or vegetables and some type of meat.

FUTURE
We hope to expand the Park Care Center to care for several hundred more children. We believe there are 500-600 children under 15 years old in the community and almost all are extremely needy. This summer we will add a new kitchen and dining room which will also give us more classroom space. We hope to add 40 more children in the fall of 2006. We would also like to eventually add vocational training centers in computers, sewing, mechanics, and more.