One by one, dozens of children arrive very early, starting at 7 in the morning and in full sunlight, at the La Salle Educational Center in Homestead, Florida.
After participating in the summer camp program for two months, almost 30 children between the ages of five and ten began the new school year in Florida this week, in a place where most parents work in agriculture.
The seed planted by Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers schools three centuries ago in France, is still germinating and growing green in Homestead, where according to Data USA, 65.8% of the population is Hispanic.
This welcoming academic site, located 15 minutes from the urban area between the Everglades and Biscayne National Park, serves low-income immigrant families working in the agricultural fields of South Miami-Dade County.
Shaping the future
La Salle Educational Center in Homestead is a Catholic school serving primarily low-income and farming families in the South Dade community. They provide a world-class education focused on intellectual, spiritual, and human formation to develop students’ leadership skills, academic prowess, and faith, empowering them to become well-rounded individuals, break the cycle of poverty, and shape their own futures filled with hope and prosperity.
The center welcomes and cares for children after school, as well as during the summer school holidays, helping them with homework and providing extracurricular classes in art, science, computers and even sewing. It also gives young people opportunities to play sports, receive vocational training and religious instruction. The institution, established in the 1970s, goes beyond serving young people by offering their parents instruction classes in English, computers, parenting, health and nutrition.
“Everything is very nice, the lunch is delicious,” says Ethan, one of the seven-year-old students who likes reading and math.
More than 300 families, most of them of Mexican origin, reside in the community and benefit from both the education and the different social and cultural programs of the La Salle center. Many of the children and young people go to work in the fields with their parents and have not had the experience of a complete education because they think they have to help their families.
“The needs of the community have changed. It is no longer just Mexican or Mexican-American adults who go out to work, but also children, and that is when the La Salle center was created to help them,” said Monica Lauzurique, executive director of the center.
Without shoes
Brother Peter, the center’s director, has spared no detail in renovating and equipping the two classrooms where children enter barefoot into a world full of learning and adventure.
“The reason for not wearing shoes is to create a familiar, comfortable environment where they feel at home and are free as if they were at home. I consider the school facilities to be a sacred place and that is why we take off our shoes when entering,” said the director of the school, who also works as a teacher.
The group of teachers made up of Brother Peter, Brenda Blanton, Mauren Delgado and Adrián Cañarte, supported by the tireless work of Mónica Lauzurique and Brother Joe as administrative director, are part of the work team and are the backbone of the Lasallian center, also counting on the invaluable support of many collaborators. The school teaches classes in computing, science, art, crafts and music, among others.
“I am very happy with the progress La Salle has made in these three years. It is very nice to see how the center has grown. The difference with public schools is that we are always available to assist the parents of the students. The students are delighted because they can say which lesson they do not like and thus have more time to work with them. You can see the difference when you see the children as soon as they walk through the door they are always excited to do their homework. Many of the children previously went to a public school and here you can see the difference,” said Mauren Delgado.
How the center is maintained
The La Salle community of Homestead, named ‘Brother James Miller’ – in honor of the Lasallian missionary who in 1981 was assigned to Guatemala, to the La Salle School in Huehuetenango and was murdered by three hooded men on February 13, 1982 – is maintained thanks to the Tax Credit Scholarships offered by the state of Florida, which have meant an increase in Catholic education in the Sunshine State.
“The school is able to offer a free Catholic education to all of its students because of scholarships or vouchers offered by the state of Florida,” said Brother Peter, who moved to Florida from Rhode Island two years ago.
“Various Lasallian centers have supported the school, from furniture to computers and other private donors,” says Brother Joe, the center’s administrative director. In addition, former Cuban students who were exiled from Christian schools in their childhood and youth and continued their academic education upon arriving in Florida are also among the center’s benefactors.
“Our mission at La Salle Educational Center is to develop the unique abilities and potential of each child by offering an enriched educational program. We strive for excellence through a practical approach. The rich traditions rooted in the De La Salle Brothers form productive, caring and intellectually curious citizens,” is the message on the Educational Center’s website.
“One of the ways to excel is to receive a good education and the De La Salle brothers are recognized for this. For centuries they have given a solid education especially to those most in need,” said the Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, who blessed the renovated facilities before the start of classes.
The school has plans to expand to serve K-12 students and is expected to open in August 2025.
Farm Share Program
Every Thursday afternoon for the past year, the ‘Farm Share’ program has been implemented, in which dozens of community members come to the Lasallian center to receive fruits, vegetables, bread, canned food, among other products that are also distributed by members of the community.
Those who wish to support the La Salle center and the education of the children can visit: https://www.lasallehomestead.org/give/