Mike Hernandez , Vice Chair

Ovelia Campos, Secretary

Maryhelen Munoz, Treasurer

Our Mission
The mission of Abilene Child Centered Educational Support Services (ACCESS) is to create a healthy community, in collaboration with others, where youth in at-risk situations and their families can experience success.

Brief History
Hardin Simmons University (HSU) Department of Social Work students conducted a Sears Park neighborhood survey in 1998 indicating community concerns including the need for after school care for at risk students and lack of technology access. The survey suggested a solution which led to the birth of ACCESS in August 1999 with the intent to address the needs of the "total child" (i.e. siblings, parents, extended family members, school, neighborhood, church.) ACCESS started with an after school tutoring program for at-risk students with the main components of computer training and academic tutoring. ACCESS has expanded its programs to include: ESL Classes, Basic Computer Class for adults and seniors, Administrator for the local Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), Parent Mentoring, Parenting Classes, Job Search for Adults, 8^th Grade Workshop, Summer Reading Camps, and Scholarship Conference.

The ACCESS technology vision is that continued technology access, training and use empower the child, family and neighborhood to success by gaining skills for life, job and learning. We use technology to support activities including technology training, language learning, academic tutoring, job search, pre-job skills and pre-college preparation. ACCESS technology activities help reduce unemployment by increasing job placement, raise education levels by increasing grade level completion and improve community involvement by providing technology access.

ACCESS knows how to identify programs, obtain funding, install and maintain technology, train teachers and mentors, and gain community involvement. We believe these demonstrated abilities are ones needed to put The Empower Hispanic America with Technology hardware, software and curriculum to maximum use in our community. ACCESS currently has two classrooms and one computer lab. The lab has 10 computers, each classroom has two computers and there are two administrative computers. One administrative computer and the computer lab are networked with Internet access.

The ACCESS Learning Center is located in the northwest area of Abilene, Texas within the neighborhood of Sears Park Area. The population of this neighborhood is 1,864. Hispanic-Latinos make up 76.45% of the population. Number of household is 616. ACCESS Learning Center is also located in the 79603 5-Digit ZCTA (Geographic Area) with a population of 23,812 of which 35.5% are identified as Hispanic/Latino. The City of Abilene as a whole has a Hispanic/Latino population of 16.5 %. The 79603 5-Digit ZCTA family income in 1999, shows 10.4% earned less than $10,000, compared to the city with 6.2%. Of the 1,298 household in the 5-Digit ZCTA 15% earned less than $10,000, compared to the city with 11.3%. Over 33% of the families earned less that $25,000, compared to the city as a whole with 26.1% (American FactFinder.com)