Partners’ Combating Exploitive Child Labor through Education program worked to withdraw and prevent 10,200 Colombian boys and girls from exploitative child labor through increased educational opportunities, public awareness and increased organizational capacity to address this problem in Colombia. With financing from the Department of Labor through 2010, the program concentrated its efforts on internally displaced and vulnerable populations in the target cities of Bogotá, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Cali, and Yumbo, where nearly 70% of the population between the ages of 5 and 17 lives.

• Espacios para Crecer– (Spaces for Growth): Beneficiaries were children 6 to 14 who were transitioned into formal schooling. The program complemented the formal school program and was implemented during the half-day when children were not in formal school so that they received a full-day of educational services. 
• Espacios para Emprender– (Spaces for Entrepreneurship) Beneficiaries were adolescents 14 to 17 who participated in a three-dimensioned program designed to prepare them for an entry-level job, establish a family micro-enterprise and/or continue their education.
• English Language Instruction- Beneficiaries were adolescents selected from the above two programs who had demonstrated both interest and ability. They received instruction in Centros Colombo-Americanos.

The education program was based on the Quantum Learning (QL) theory, a powerful teaching and learning tool that integrated educational theories and successful practices used by thousands of teachers. QL training includes steps for building a strong foundation for learning, a positive atmosphere of rapport and respect, and a supportive environment. It also incorporates steps for improving presentation skills, designing engaging lessons and identifying and reaching all types of learners. It has been used in more than 30,000 classrooms in 15 countries, across grade levels, generating educationally significant gains in reading, mathematics, and writing.