Today I spent my entire shift calling parents to remind them about our summer school program, which starts this Wednesday. Our target number of participants is 150, but as of today we only had 88. A main reason for this is that the center has increased its fee to $100 per student in order to meet the high costs of salaries and food (the program provides breakfast and lunch). In my point of view, I think that $100 is definitely reasonable considering that students receive two meals and are taught by certified teachers in a classroom setting that is much more personal than their regular classes throughout the school year. However, this is another example of where my privilege shines through; most of the kids that participate come from low-income families where $100 can really throw off the household rhythm. To respond to this our director decided to minimize the fee by 50%, so $50 per student. Even at this price some families are still unable to participate, but it did draw in a few more students. After I called the parents who had filled out applications, but who had not yet made a payment, I had to call the parents of children that had participated last year. I was initially uncomfortable with the assignment because I figured that if a parent had not signed their child up for the program this summer, it was because they were not interested, so I didn't want to be a nuisance by calling someone's home. My attitude changed when I called a home and was greeted by a kind mother who so grateful when she heard that there was still space for her daughter who had participated last summer; apparently this woman had an important surgery that impeded her from signing up her daughter earlier this summer, and she assumed that there wasn't any more space left. The gratitude and excitement in her voice really pumped me up and I no longer felt that discomfort as I called other parents. During the last few minutes of my shift today I met with the teacher that I will be assisting during the program, Mr. Hernandez, and he briefly went over his ideas for our class. I am very excited to get started, although also somewhat nervous.