AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT
Winter Session 2026
Week of Jan 13 – Week of Mar 17
Create and explore with us after school! Our classes are engaging hands-on fun for young artists, makers, and inventors aged 6-13. Classes are small, student-centered experiences where youth can build skills, experiment with a variety of media, and connect with their creative selves.
All classes take place at 558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA.
Registration opens on Monday, 10/27/25 at 12:00 PM
Registration closes on Wednesday, 1/7/26 at 4:00 PM
Class Schedule
Field Sketch Masters: Nature Art Expedition
Tuesdays • 4-6 PM • Jan 13 – Mar 17
Ages 12+ • $200-$325
Ready to ditch the screen and draw the world like a pro? This is not your average art class—it’s an Art Field Expedition! We’re ditching basic pencils and diving into high-level media like professional watercolor sets, ink washes, and charcoal sketching. If you’re serious about art, this is your chance to level up your skills.
We’ll learn the secrets of observational drawing—how to actually see depth, light, and texture in the wild. You’ll be working like a professional naturalist, setting up outside near the lake and within the center grounds to capture everything from intricate plant structures to the quick movements of local animals.
You will master different techniques to capture nature’s beauty and build a killer portfolio of unique, finished pieces. Get ready to sketch, paint, and create art that looks truly amazing!
Fashion Forward
Wednesdays • 4-6 PM • Jan 14 – Mar 18
Ages 9-12 • $200-$350
Calling all Fashonistas! Designers will learn how textile and material play a central role in the design of a fashion collection. They will develop mood boards and explore fashion sketching, upcycling and sewing. Designers will learn basic construction techniques while pushing the limits of each material.
Eco-Innovators: Tinkering and Making with Nature
Wednesdays • 4-5:30 PM • Jan 14 – Mar 18
Ages 6-8 • $200-$325
In this class, we’ll learn about upcycling and turning everyday stuff into art, while exploring the flora and fauna around us. We focus on sensory art, building challenges, and playful learning that connects nature’s textures and colors to science principles. We’ll become alchemists of color and turn plants into our very own natural pigments! You’ll use mixed media, recycled materials and nature finds to build sturdy eco-habitats, create incredible textured collages and 3D sculptures. Plus, you’ll get to meet our wonderful, gentle animal ambassadors. We’ll learn all about them, their amazing bug friends, and even make special art inspired by them! Get ready to explore, tinker, and create!
Digital Power-Up: Procreate, Comics and Character Lab
Thursdays • 4-5:30 PM • Jan 15 – Mar 19
Ages 8-10 • $200-$350
This class is your mission to become a digital comic creator using procreate. Students will create physical characters using clay, paper, pencils and paints and then upload images of their creations to ipads. Once uploaded, students will add digital embellishments, including:
- Super Brush Secrets: We’ll show you how to use amazing digital brushes to make fire, lightning, glitter, or anything else you can dream up!
- Magic Layers: Learn how layers work to fix mistakes easily and color your characters like a pro.
- Character Creator: Design your very own main character—what are their powers, what do they look like, and what is their secret origin story?
Then, you’ll learn how to put your character into action to tell a hilarious or super-dramatic story! You’ll leave with your very own completed digital comic strip and the digital superpowers to keep creating at home!
Carpentry
Fridays • 4:30-6:30 PM • Jan 16 – Mar 20
Ages 6-13 • $200-$350
Students will learn to use a complement of hand tools during a course that emphasizes safe tool use, practical problem solving and creative development. Projects increase in difficulty as experience grows. Students will begin with projects such as a small toy boat and work up to full-sized furniture and professional skateboards.
**All first-time carpentry students MUST attend the first day of class to safely participate in the course.**
Digital Art
Saturdays • 11 AM-12:30 PM • Jan 17 – Mar 21
Ages 11-14 • $200-$350
In this hands-on digital art class, students will explore creative technology through Procreate, stop motion, and virtual world building. Using Procreate, they’ll learn digital illustration, layering, and animation techniques to bring drawings to life. Exploring stop motion, they’ll experiment with frame-by-frame animation, transforming everyday materials into short films. Students will then move into 3D design and virtual world-building, crafting interactive environments that combine art and simple coding. Along the way, they’ll develop skills in visual storytelling, design thinking, and digital composition.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
All JCAS classes are made available to families on a sliding scale. Families choose the amount they are able to pay, considering the top end of our scale is how much it costs us to run the class. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.
If the sliding scale prices are still out of your family’s budget, we do offer scholarships. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please give us 7 business days to process applications. All scholarship requests must be made by Friday, December 26th.
Don’t worry about classes filling up, we account for this and ensure every camp is available for scholarship students.
PAY IT FORWARD PROGRAM
JCAS is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to offering equitable access to arts and science education. We serve more than 1,500 students every year and most of our students – more than 70% – receive financial assistance.
You can now support our mission directly using our Pay It Forward Program. When registering your student for a class, you’ll have the opportunity to Pay It Forward and contribute to our Scholarship Fund. Your donation ensures that students from all backgrounds can experience the joy and enrichment of our classes and camps—at little to no cost to them.
ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION
We’re committed to making all programs at the Junior Center of Art and Science accessible and inclusive. Our spaces are wheelchair-friendly, and we welcome learners of all abilities and learning styles. If you or your child need accommodations, please let us know—we’re happy to help! Read our Accessibility Statement here.
You can indicate any accommodation needs or concerns when registering your child under the “Special Instructions about my child” section. You can also reach out directly at contact@juniorcenter.org
REFUND POLICY
ACTIVE now offers self-cancelations! If you need to cancel your registration for any reason, log in to your ACTIVE account, locate the registration you wish to cancel, and select ‘cancel’.
Our Refund Policy is as follows:
All purchases include a 10% non-refundable deposit to cover administrative costs.
From 10/27 – 12/9, you will receive a 90% refund.
From 12/10 – 1/2, you will receive a 40% refund.
From 1/3 on, we are not able to offer any refunds.
Please note:
JCAS enrollment is non-transferable. That said, we do understand that sometimes your family schedule changes! We offer a one-time enrollment transfer for your child to another week of class that has spaces available free of charge.
Unfortunately, because spots are limited, no credit is given for partial attendance. No portion of the tuition will be refunded if the child is absent, withdrawn, or otherwise fails to complete the activity.