Current Operations At present, CASA’s network of collaboration extends from the original site in St. Leo’s Mission in Northern San Diego County to Escondido, and two American Indian Reservations in East San Diego County: Pauma and San Pasqual, and San Ysidro and Imperial Beach in South San Diego County. Project site locations cover both the northermost and southermost portions of San Diego County. This is a function of various factors, such as the location of funding agreeable host institutions with which CASA has been able to establish partnerships. While a demand for the service is well documented in these areas, CASA needs to focus more on site selection with regard to community name and need recognition. In addition, certain local sources of funding are very territorial; if we are able to cross reference communities needing our service with the targeted location of angel investors and technology / education-friendly sources of support, we can more prudently serve communities in need with less effort on resource development for these new sites. A general shift toward downtown communities would increase by proximity access to financial support and visibility; on the other hand, it would also place us in the midst of the geographic competition pool for limited city and county resources, which could have both positive and negative results. Nearby educational institutions are highly desirable in that they provided a steady pool of students who are able to staff CASA as part of their educational experience.
CASA builds on the 12-year success of La Clase Mágica (LCM), an innovative computer-mediated after-school educational activity. CASA extends the original model to serve under-represented communities with little access to computers and telecommunication technology.