Programs

programs

Afterschool

Afterschool

Safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning spaces that support the whole child and family are essential for the academic, emotional, and social development of Latino students. We understand that true achievement begins with the belief in our community's capacity and desire to succeed. LaAmistad Afterschool passionately seeks to serve elementary-age Latino students through engaging instructional strategies that include opportunities for voice and choice, fun, and mentorship with the aim of closing the educational achievement gap and preparing them for the academic journey head.

Fast Facts

  • Volunteers play a leading role in assisting LaAmistad students during afterschool programming.
  • Healthy snacks and recreation time are a daily part of the holistic afterschool program.
  • Manners and character-building are interwoven in afterschool programming.
  • Students work with volunteers in small classroom groups.
  • Students work on remediation or refine academic skills once homework is complete.
  • Students participate in cultural and enrichment activities throughout the year.
  • Parents of enrolled students are encouraged to attend English classes and educational workshops, and complete community service hours to give back.

Where are we located?

LaAmistad has program locations
in and around Atlanta!

programs

Anímate Summer Academy

Anímate Summer Academy

At LaAmistad, summer is a time for fun AND learning. Many of our students need additional academic support in order to maintain their academic progress and strengthen areas of weakness. With the school community closed, it’s also a time when families need the most support. LaAmistad, in partnership with several private schools, is there to provide its working families with a no-cost camp that not only bolsters academic success but exposes students to activities that, while available to their more affluent peers, are normally beyond their economic means.

Many LaAmistad students attend Anímate Summer Academy, and students outside of the LaAmistad family are invited to fill any remaining slots. Our campers spend the first part of the day immersed in the main academic subject areas of language arts, reading, and math, taught by certified educators. A reading club and social-emotional learning round out the morning. 

During the summer months, parents need childcare, transportation and meal solutions while children yearn for experiences that challenge their spirits, minds, and bodies. We believe summer is a time to support the whole family and cherish the opportunity to extend our impact through our Animate Summer Academy.

Thanks to our strong partnerships and generous donors, campers have access to summer meals, transportation and recreational experiences including:

  • swimming
  • soccer, tennis, and other sports
  • arts and crafts
  • gardening
  • STEM projects
  • mobile zoo
  • field trips

After a summer of hard work and play, campers leave with their academics pushed to the next level, positive memories, confidence, a sense of belonging and prepared for a successful school year.

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Parent Partnership

Monthly Parenting Workshops

LaAmistad strives to support families with students participating in LaAmistad Afterschool through monthly workshops on a variety of topics such as:

  • Navigating the school system
  • Parent communication and interaction with their children
  • Positive discipline
  • Healthy living
  • College prep
  • Digital literacy
  • Accessing community resources


The ultimate goal of our no-cost workshops is to strengthen, revitalize, and equip families to thrive while building and maintaining healthy family relationships. For inquiries about partnering to provide quality workshops to our community, please contact us.

Service Referrals

LaAmistad’s Parent Partnership further assists families by connecting parents to community resources and agencies that provide support services. Our network includes partners such as food banks, counseling services, churches, attorneys and healthcare providers to meet the needs of our students and families.

programs

English for Successful Living

English for Successful Living

Registration for our ESL Winter Session is NOW OPEN!
 
Classes will begin January 2025.
 
Please click the registration button below to register now and see our class options!
 
If you need help registering or don’t see your level offered at a location or time that interests you, visit us at LCC weekday mornings from 9am to 5pm for help and more information.
 

120 Northwood Dr Suite 140, Sandy Springs, GA 30342
(470) 756 1558

 

LaAmistad offers students the opportunity to improve their English fluency in our English for Successful Living (ESL) program. The in-person classes are open to anyone in the community that wants to learn English regardless of origin. Our volunteer-led instructional program offers the immigrant population at large the opportunity to take English classes with an instructor. Our volunteers are trained and mentored by experienced and certified ESL professionals. 

  • The registration fee is $50 per 10-week session.  
  • Students purchase their own student pack (textbook and workbook) through Amazon. A link to purchase the student pack will be provided after registration is completed. 

Our curriculum focuses on the use of English for everyday situations and provides preparation for various purposes.  

If you would like to learn English, and improve your pronunciation and fluency, we invite you to join the growing LaAmistad ESL community! Or, if you would like to host an ESL program, contact us.  

For specific inquiries, email esl@laamistadinc.org or call 470-765-1558 

 

programs

Adult Education

Adult Education

Employment feeds the body. Meaningful work nourishes one’s mind, spirit and purpose. We believe everyone should have access to opportunities for self-improvement and self-discovery in pursuit of authentic, fulfilling lives.
 
LaAmistad strives to offer quality ESL classes, engaging community events, and curated adult learning opportunities in Spanish that are sustainable, relevant and responsive. All offerings are designed and informed by the community’s needs and strength
 

Our Adult Education classes and workshops in Spanish support personal and professional development. The offerings vary and cover topics such as:

  • Financial literacy
  • Mental health
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Immigration
  • Home Buying
  • Consumer awareness
 
 

If you would like more information on upcoming workshops or have a topic you would like to present, please contact us.

 
 
 
 

programs

The Suzanne W. Schirber LaAmistad Scholarship

About

The LaAmistad scholarship fund was created in loving memory of Suzanne W. Schirber, a former and dedicated LaAmistad volunteer. The scholarship will support incoming college freshmen and/or current college students in pursuit of higher education.

“Suzanne spent a lot of time with the LaAmistad students' and formed an emotional bond with many of them”, says Greg Schirber, widow of Suzanne W. Schirber. “Her wish was to see LaAmistad students' prosper and her hope was that this gift could help these students pursue higher education”.

Eligibility

  • Enrolled in LaAmistad Afterschool for at least one year.
  • Enrolled as a 12th grade student with sufficient credits to graduate in the spring of 2022 or enrolled full-time/part-time in an accredited, not-for-profit, 2-year, or 4-year university.
  • Maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA based on a 4.0 scale.
  • Immediate family members of any full-time LaAmistad employee or LaAmistad scholarship committee member are not eligible to apply for this scholarship.

Information

Applications must be filled out completely, include all required support materials and must be completely submitted by the deadline of May 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM.

In addition to a completed application and the required essays, every applicant must submit at least one letter of recommendation and a copy of their most recent high school or college transcript. Letters of recommendation and transcripts can be sent via email to [email protected].

Incomplete scholarship applications cannot be considered and will not be returned.

Awardees

In order for LaAmistad to disperse scholarship funds to the college/university, awardees must provide current proof of enrollment from the college/university with the student ID number as well as a contact name and mailing address for the Student Accounts Office.

Scholarship recipients will be contacted directly and posted here by June 30, 2024.

All eligible students are encouraged to apply. If you need any assistance when completing the application, please contact us.

programs

Community Center

 

Community is a value central to the Latino identity. We honor this by creating a safe and welcoming space for those we serve to gather, learn and grow together.

In the heart of Sandy Springs, LaAmistad’s Community Center is a hub of educational services for the community. The 2,000-square-foot facility has a beautiful conference room with a large screen TV and a table that seats 8 comfortably. The facility also boasts a spacious classroom with tables that seat up to 24 students in a variety of configurations, a kitchenette, and two large-screen TVs. Outside there is ample parking and a beautiful playground and green space for little ones to enjoy.

The community center offers English classes for adults, computer classes, and other adult education workshops. Partner non-profits also use the community center to serve the nearby community with special events and pop-up shops.

The LaAmistad Community Center is available to rent at affordable rates. Please contact us for more information.

Phone: 470-765-1558

LaAmistad Community Center
120 Northwood Drive
Sandy Springs, GA 30342

Welcome!

We’re thrilled to welcome you back into the heart of LaAmistad as Alumni. Through the LaAmistad Alumni Program, we embark on a collective journey, forging a supportive community of Latinos committed to achieving academic excellence and personal growth. As part of the LaAmistad family, we will provide unwavering support and guidance as you navigate the transformative stages from Middle School through high school and into adulthood. Our LaAmistad family has no age limit.

LaAmistad Junior Alumni (Middle School)

Step into LaAmistad's Junior Alumni Program, where we craft an environment to foster positive academic and personal communities. We hope to have a dedicated space committed to the holistic growth of our middle schoolers. We invite you to join so that we can share captivating opportunities and trips that not only build camaraderie among Jr Alumni but also instill qualities of empathy and leadership through meaningful community service. Our commitment to your academic journey is unwavering, ensuring a well-rounded experience that cultivates confidence and fuels a passion for learning

LaAmistad Senior Alumni (High School +)

As a LaAmistad Senior Alumni, embrace a program tailored to empower you on your academic journey, with a focus on excellence, personalized guidance, and community. We will continue to provide exciting trips like the Junior Alumni, now enriched with a heightened emphasis on academic achievement and personalized support. We understand that the path to success takes various forms, which is why we are excited to support alumni pursuing skill-based training and certification. For those charting the course to college, we plan on guiding you through this process through our college workshops with ACT prep. Additionally, we are excited to launch our new mentorship program to pair Latino professionals with Alumni... Join us in shaping your future with a harmonious blend of exciting experiences and the unwavering support you deserve.

Social Media

Join the LaAmistad Afterschool Student Alumni Group on Facebook! You can also join our GroupMe  

If you’d like to follow and connect with other LaAmistad Alumni, please click here to join the Alumni Facebook group. We post stories, job opportunities, and alumni news and events on this page. The group is private and open exclusively to LaAmistad alumni.

After joining the Alumni group, please follow us on our other social media channels to see great content and real-time updates on LaAmistad programs and people.

Newsletter

LaAmistad publishes a quarterly alumni newsletter. There you’ll see upcoming events, interesting stories affecting our community, alumni spotlights, and much more. We’ll also share opportunities for you, your college or employer to get involved and support our efforts.

Volunteer

There’s no better way to give back to LaAmistad than to become a volunteer. While we are always in need of Latino volunteers to serve as tutors, mentors and interns in all of our programs, your time and service to an Afterschool student will have a lasting impact. 

We also have other ways for you to give back to your community. Click here to see our current opportunities.

Donate

We recognize our alumni may be short on time with school, work, or family but you can still make a difference with a small gift. Your donation helps make our work possible! Click here to contribute.

Work for us!

LaAmistad actively recruits former students to join us as interns and staff. We invite you to bring your passion, skills, and personal knowledge of LaAmistad as a member of our team.

Visit our careers page to browse current openings!

 

programs

Birth to Five

About!

Birth-to-Five is our newest program! This program will teach caregivers strategies they can use to help their young children learn new communication and literacy skills. The strategies that we will be teaching parents are evidence-based, meaning that they have been shown by research to help children learn new skills and enter school ready to learn!

Program Components

  • Our birth-to-five caregiver groups will meet once each week over the course of 10-12 weeks. These meetings will be run in Spanish by bilingual clinicians who are experts early communication development with the support of LaAmistad staff. Weekly meetings will include:
  • Motivation & Empowerment: Caregivers will learn about the role they play in their child’s literacy in Spanish and English.
  • Education and Tools: Caregivers will learn strategies to help their child learn new communication and literacy skills.
  • Practical Application: Caregivers will practice with intention and integrate strategies into daily routines, such as mealtime, bath time, and time with family.
  • Community Building: Caregivers will learn alongside other caregivers of children of the same age.
  • Parents get workbooks that they can take home and use as part of this program.

Birth to Five Cohorts

LaAmistad Community Center

Mondays 3:30-5:00PM

Birney Elementary School

Tuesdays 3:30-5:00PM

Virtual Group

Fridays 10:30AM-12:00PM

English