Children ages 0-5

Dorchester Adult Literacy Coalition(DALC): Sarah Bayer (ABE/ESOL) - sbayer@prohope.org; Project Hope provides services in ABE, ESOL, GED, and Job Skills.  They have licensed child care and operate in morning and afternoons.

Adult Educational Services (AES): offers a basic adult education to more than 80 low-income women a year. It combines full time, intensive academics with creative programming to foster each woman's empowerment and self-development in mind, body, and spirit.

Children's Center: a high-quality, nationally accredited child care center for 26 homeless and low-income children, ages 0-6. Eighteen percent of Boston centers achieve this rigorous standard of national accreditation. The center promotes the whole child’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth; targets children in crisis and with special needs; involves parents in promoting family literacy and kindergarten-readiness; and works for better access and quality child care in the broader community.

Family Child Care Business Enterprise (FCCBE): an innovative venture that trains 30 low-income women a year for child care careers and oversees a network of 20+ home-based family day care businesses. Trainees take part in college-level child development coursework, internships, and business preparation. The day care providers are assisted with their professional development and business success.

Family Shelter: one of the first homeless shelters for families in the state and remains a model for its respectful and empowering approach. Approximately 20 women and their children are sheltered each year.

Housing Service: assists Dorchester/Roxbury families with various housing issues. A team of experienced staff provides housing counseling, landlord negotiation, housing search assistance, budgeting advice and training, emergency rental funds, and more.

Workforce Development & Employer Partnerships (WDEP): founded to assist women—single mothers predominantly—and other community members in the Dudley neighborhood who found that without adequate training and an accessible path to employers their dreams of living wage jobs were out of reach. Aids in job readiness training, access to career ladder job opportunities, and ongoing case management support during the program and for a full year after job placement.

ESOL levels 1 through 3,

Native Language Literacy (Literacy classes in Spanish) 

GED/Pre-GED Classes in Spanish

Computer classes: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced

Bridge to Community College Classes: English/Technology and Mathematics, Career Exploration, and Time Management. Classes focus on academic English, computer skills necessary for college, college mathematics, discovering vocational interests, and time/priority management.

In addition to taking classes, students are required to attend support and focus groups Wednesdays and Fridays each week. Through Proyecto Companera MUA provides:

Health workshops and trainings
Career and educational workshops
Career and educational counseling
Help with college and job applications
Field trips to community colleges, the State House, public libraries, the Freedom Trail, etc.
Notary Public and translation services are available for MUA students

Youth Development Program - Phuongdai Nguyen - Youth Program Coordinator The Vietnamese-American Civic Association Youth Development Program’s mission is to prepare and provide newly arrived Vietnamese refugees and immigrant youth as well as youth living in and around the community of Dorchester a safe interactive-learning environment where they are exposed to a variety of issues and topics that are tailored to their interest in order for them to develop into healthy educated adults.