“My son connects with the classes and teaching artists at Junior Center in a way that he doesn’t connect with any other activity or teacher in his life.” – Leah, Dean’s mom.
Maybe you can relate to Leah as a mom, or to her son Dean, and their not-so-positive experiences with traditional learning. Maybe you feel like your kid’s special spark never gets lit up by school or other after-school programs.
This is why the Junior Center of Art and Science plays such an important and magical role in our students’ lives. We strive to ignite a unique spark in every one of our students. We need your donation support to do it.
Inclusivity is fundamental to our mission and a promise we keep by offering all our classes and camps at low or no cost. And every teaching artist at Junior Center is 100% committed to meeting each student where they are. Our fundamental mission is to make the exploration of the arts and science accessible for all.
Leah’s son Dean has been coming to the Junior Center for after-school classes and summer camps for the past three years, since he was six years old. His positive experiences at Junior Center have meant the world to Dean, and to his whole family. Leah explained why:
Dean struggles with connection and focus. As his mom, I was getting nonstop negative feedback from his school about how distracted and disengaged he was.
He became a different kid at the Junior Center. His first experience was carpentry, and at six years old it was thrilling for him to build things with his own two hands using a hand saw.
At the end of camp, the teaching artist came to tell me, “Dean was so engaged the whole time, it was so fun to work with him!” Wow. That was a profound moment for us. Dean’s gifts were finally being inspired and appreciated by a teacher. It was so awesome; I teared up.
Children of all ages and abilities are welcome at Junior Center, regardless of their learning style or family’s capacity to pay.
Will you make a gift today to keep Junior Center camps and classes accessible to all East Bay families?
The majority – 71% – of our students’ families receive some kind of financial assistance from the Junior Center. Donation support from community members like you make that generosity and accessibility possible, and we can’t do it without you.