Site Description
Su Casa Hispanic Center of Cincinnati is the main provider of educational, social, language, employment, and health care services to the Hispanic/Latino community in Greater Cincinnati. Su Casa was founded in 1997 as a program of Catholic Charities, which is a ministry of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati that has been serving the vulnerable members of the community for over 100 years. Su Casa offers a variety of services including health promotion services, emergency assistance services, and educational services.
One of the educational services that Su Casa offers during the summer is the Vacaciones Útiles youth enrichment program. Since 2008, Vacaciones Útiles has focused on Hispanic/Latino youth to bridge the academic performance gap between them and their classmates. Vacaciones Útiles serves over 50 students each summer ranging from pre-school to third grade to help them grow academically, socially, artistically, and spiritually. The holistic program provides nutrition lessons, field trips, and plenty of time to exercise outside.
Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (location of Vacaciones Útiles program) - 1740 Langdon Farm Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45237
Job Description
“In the mornings, when I arrive, I get crossing guard duty - walking kids and parents from across the street, to make sure they're safe.
At 9AM, when the day starts, I find my teacher, Mrs. Sand and my class of 2nd graders and walk them up to our classroom. We do morning meeting, then do some lessons, usually phonics and math.
At 12:30PM, we all go to lunch then recess!
In the afternoons, the 2nd graders do yoga, then a special guest will come to do a lesson - I do health lessons with them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, other days we get a librarian from Cincinnati Public Library! We finish up our day doing more word games and I help with dismissal.”
– Minh Nguyen
“A day in the life of a UHP intern and Medical Spanish student working with Su Casa's education department - I arrive at St. Clement at 7:50 am to talk with my supervisor before doing my cross guard duty from 8:00-9:00 at the summer camp. Afterwards, I help the kindergarten teacher with some English learning activities until 10:40. At 10:45, I head to the teacher's lounge to do my Spanish class online. At 12:00, I eat lunch, and join back up with the kids for recess around 12:20. After some math and storytelling activities, I help lead a health literacy lesson. This often includes a fun experiment such as dropping eggs with a “helmet” made of bubble wrap or learning about nutrition by guessing if a fruit is healthy or not solely based on touch. From 2:00-3:00 I am the crossing guard again and greet parents who come pick up their kids. I have had a ton of fun this summer and couldn't imagine working anywhere else!”
– Kai Buendia