Visit Escuela Einstein on a typical weekday afternoon and you will see groups of children rehearsing choreographed dances, folk-music performances, even juggling acts. Other students are learning to paint or make leather crafts. Still others hone math and language skills in the computer lab.

These activities ensure that the students will remain in school for a full day, since in Chile conventional classes are generally over in the morning. In this way, the students are not left to wander the streets while parents are at work. It also provides time for students to work with individual tutors, spend time in the library, or meet with a case worker or psychologist from the social service agency that is co-located at Escuela Einstein.

Some of the half-day workshop activities are taught by teachers. But most are run by so-called monitores. These are usually young people who are studying full or part time to obtain a university teaching degree. In this picture Lorena Garcés (in white sweater), a 28-year-old monitora who runs music and computer lab workshops, helps students prepare for an upcoming folk-music concert. "We practically live here," says Garcés, who often works till 8:30 p.m. "Many of the kids would rather be here than at home."