"Mom, I really like this place."

Rich Richardson, who had been tutoring the youngster in an after-school program before his mother arrived to pick him up, says he isn't sure if the child was referring to the tutoring or the after-tutoring snack. "Still, it's nice to know that kids really enjoy coming here," he says.

Guidance counselor Rich Richardson volunteers his time to staff an association-sponsored after-school program in Bakersfield. He's finding that students like Adam Meza really want to learn.

Here, in this case, is the CTA UniServ office in Bakersfield, where Richardson and fellow members of the Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association (BETA) have started an after-school tutoring program.

They started the program because they saw a need in the community and had the office space to help fill it.

"Kids are our future," says Richardson. "If we don't take an interest in them now, we will pay for it later. And paying for something later is always more expensive."

The students in the area are mostly poor, and at least half are second-language learners, says Richardson, a counselor at Chipman Union High School in Bakersfield. Gang activity on the fringes of town is tempting to some students.

"There are a lot of latchkey kids. The majority of parents work until 4 or 5 p.m., and they leave older brothers and sisters, who don't have proper guidance themselves, to watch the younger children. The older children may leave their younger siblings to fend for themselves in front of the TV.

"Students get into trouble after school when there is no supervision. Here students come in, stay off the streets, are properly supervised and able to see some learning take place."

When BETA members got together to talk about the problem, they thought about making the large, unused room in the back of their UniServ office available to the community for after-school tutoring since it's centrally located. "When you think about it, teachers are part of the community and need to connect to the community," says Richardson. "For us, this is a way of doing outreach and connecting."

First-grade teacher Florence Ho volunteers her time to staff an association-sponsored after-school program in Bakersfield.

"Kids want to do well," says Florence Ho, a first-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School who tutors after school. "But they need extra help. Many children, especially English language learners, don't get help with their homework from their parents, who may not have the skills to help them. But by tutoring these children after school, we can reach out to these kids and help them succeed."

"I love it," she says. "The kids love it too. Most of the time, when there are 20 or 30 students in a classroom, the teacher can't give one-on-one attention to every single student who needs it. But in this setting, you can tutor one-on-one or in a small group setting, so kids can do better."

Teachers volunteer their time to staff the after-school program, held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Eventually, say BETA members, the program may expand to more days and hours.

"It's just starting, but I see wonderful things happening in the future," says Richardson.