Mayor Helps Kick Off After-School Program
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More than 250 children, residents and city officials converged Monday in El Sereno to hear Mayor Richard Riordan kick off an after-school program at Sierra Park Elementary School.
The project, called L.A.’s B.E.S.T. (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), is for children ages 5 to 12 who live in areas vulnerable to gangs, drugs and crime. It provides homework help, field trips, nutritional snacks and science and art activities Monday through Friday until 6 p.m.
The program serves about 5,000 children at 24 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“The program uses hands-on projects to expose children to career opportunities,” said John Hernandez, coordinator of the Sierra Park program.
The program is a joint effort of the mayor’s office, the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The program at the school is funded by a $125,000 grant through the city Community Development Department.
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