The sixth Dallas public library Teen Center, providing online tutoring and free use of laptop computers, opens today.
At Dallas' newest Teen Center at the Park Forest branch, students can receive help with their homework from on-site staff members, as well as online through the Dallas After-School Homework Help (DASH) program.
Students in grades 4 through 12 can log on to the DASH Web site from the library or at home from 3 to 10 p.m. daily.
The online tutors are located all over the country and are certified through the Tutor.com training program. They are teachers, college professors, graduate students and professional tutors. Able to assist in both English and Spanish, the tutors provide help in math, science, social studies and English.
Paula Huskey, manager of the Skyline branch, where a teen center opened in 2003, said students are excited to hear about using the online tutors for help with their homework. "It's a real asset in our community and we really look forward to serving the students there," she said.
Mrs. Huskey said about 15 to 20 students attend the Skyline Teen Center daily, and enjoy reading the available teen interest magazines and college preparation handbooks.
The Teen Centers also provide help with college and scholarship applications, as well as job interview training.
Teen advisory councils at each of the six centers recommend to library administrators what kinds of programs and products they would like to see. Kitty Stone, an interim administrator with Dallas Public Libraries, said the students use the laptops constantly.
"Access to that type of technology is always of interest to teens," she said.
Richard Hill, a spokesman for the city of Dallas, said other libraries are looking to open Teen Centers, depending on available funding.
The AT&T Foundation contributed $15,000 toward the Park Forest branch's teen center. Other programs are at the Skillman Southwestern, North Oak Cliff, Martin Luther King and Hampton Illinois branches.