CECC provides relationship focused, culturally attuned, and collaborative educational, mental health and wellness supports starting from pregnancy through age eight, for young children and those who care for them.
All classes take place at 558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA.
Tuesdays • 10:00-11:30 AM • 1/21 – 3/18 (no class on 2/18) 2 – 5 years old • $250-$350
The Peace Arts class is designed to promote the resilience of young children ages 2 – 5 by building trust with their caregivers and engagement in positive, therapeutic and FUN arts experiences. The class is co-taught by two experienced staff: a Teaching Artist and an endorsed Early Childhood Mental Health Practitioner who lead the group in engaging projects that allow for healthy relationships building, self-expression, sensory integration and exploration of the amazing world around us. One infant sibling (Under 6mo) may participate for free with an older sibling and adult caregiver.
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, please email us at [email protected] for financial aid. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Apply today!
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.
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. In the event you need to cancel your child’s enrollment, we offer the following refunds: All purchases include a 10% non-refundable deposit to cover administrative costs. From 12/2 – 12/28, you will receive a 90% refund. From 12/29 – 1/14, you will receive a 40% refund. From 1/15 on, we are not able to offer any refunds.
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’.
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 or camp, 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.
Your donation of either 100%, 50%, 25%, or 15% of the cost of tuition will go directly to our Scholarship Fund. This fund subsidizes tuition costs for low-income members of our community. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.
This portion of your purchase will be 100% tax deductible. You will be emailed a gift receipt to reflect the portion of your purchase that is a donation.
If you have any questions about this process, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]
Thank you for your continued support of our mission.
Looking for a fun and enriching way for your young creative to spend the day while you finish your holiday preparations? Join us on Monday, December 23rd for our Winter Camp!
Our camp is packed with hands-on activities that celebrate the season. Campers will explore printmaking, digital illustration, and 3D design, creating festive projects like luminaries, sculptures, and holiday cards to take home.
Monday, Dec 23rd 9am – 3pm $85 – $125 Sliding scale Aftercare available until 4pm for $25 Scholarships available! See below
At the end of December, many cultures and traditions celebrate the longest night and shortest day of the year, and the return of the light. We gather together out of the cold and bring light and warmth to the darkness. Let’s make luminaries to celebrate light! Students will learn to build two different types of wooden frames, which will be covered in tissue paper and glue. When dry, the luminaries will be lit with battery operated tea lights.
Students will create digital masterpieces, and bring them time life as cards, gifts and other holiday artworks. Students will first learn the fundamentals behind creating digital artwork using iPads and the ProCreate drawing tool, and then create handmade treasures based on their digital creation. Students will be able to use JCAS’ unique tech offerings as well as more traditional art materials such as paint, collage and plenty of glitter!
Throughout the class there will be tons of opportunities for exploration, play and silliness as we dive into the world of both digital and multimedia artwork!
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, please email us at [email protected] for financial aid. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Apply today!
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 11/23 – 12/07, you will receive a 90% refund.
From 12/08 – 12/15, you will receive a 40% refund.
From 12/16 on, we are not able to offer any refunds.
Be sure to check out the Saturdays at the Lab page for more info on our upcoming workshops! We have an exiting selection of offerings for creatives across age groups and interests. Register today!
Gary has lived in his home by Lake Merritt for over 15 years. Between the pandemic and a fire that destroyed part of his living quarters, Gary was forced to find a temporary home, and it wasn’t so easy. Gary is somewhat elderly, requires a specific diet, and has many special needs. But his new place? Gary has really been digging it—literally.
Gary is Oakland’s Junior Center for Arts and Science’s star attraction—a California desert tortoise who has been charming both young and old at the Center for over 15 years, inspiring kids to appreciate the diverse world of nature that surrounds them. Gary is now temporarily living at a home in West Oakland, in a habitat created especially for him by two scientists, where he is living his best life.
Gary represents an endangered species, and is an example of an animal that was taken from the wild—probably when he was very small—and sold as a pet. The exact details of Gary’s life before coming to the Center are unknown, but he was likely kept somewhere dark, and was underfed. This was determined due to the pyramiding scutes (thickened bony plates) on the back of his shell that point upwards, where they should be smooth, indicating a lack of access to proper nutrients.
Gary also has a small hole drilled into the back of his shell, where it is believed his previous owners tied a rope to prevent him from escaping. Eventually, Gary was abandoned, and found living alone under an empty house. A family discovered him, and brought him to the Junior Center. Gary’s age is estimated to be around 52 years.
When the pandemic forced the closure of the Junior Center, someone immediately came to mind as the one best suited to foster Gary. Sigrid Hubbell, a scientist who is now studying horticultural therapy, had been bringing Gary food she’d grown at the community Gardens at Lakeside Park on a weekly basis for over a year before the pandemic.
She says he’d get excited about her visits—and the fresh kale he knew he was about to get. “It was something I really looked forward to,” she said.
The Center’s animal caretaker, Zaynab Alrashid, refers to Sigrid as “a super volunteer—and a godsend,” and says that she’s always been Gary’s biggest fan. Zaynab has visited Gary’s new digs, and says it’s “beyond the best situation.”
Zaynab, a Mills College grad who majored in Biology, cares for the Center’s 12 animals, which include everything from a tarantula, to snakes, to a bearded dragon, to Jessie, a Hermann tortoise who is smaller and less social than Gary. Zaynab is actually fostering Jessie until the Center re-opens.
But she acknowledges that Gary is definitely the Center’s rock star; all the kids know him by name. “The first thing they say is ‘Can we see Gary?’” The gregarious tortoise was given free rein to wander the Center, and children loved feeding him.
These days, Gary is enjoying an expansive lot and garden, where he also has what Sigrid describes as a little “smart home,” surrounding an underground burrow, complete with a dual ceramic heat lamp assembly, UVA/UVB sunlamp, temperature/humidity sensor and ample plexiglass for viewing and protection. He roams the property by day, and retires to his enclosure at night.
Sigrid and her partner, Justen Reed had never played host to a reptile before, so there was a big learning curve. Gary also needed to adjust to new surroundings, which he immediately did, and with great gusto. New to him? Clay soil, diverse plants to forage, increased independence, and different animals (cats, dogs, possums, raccoons, rats, mice), including his favorite—ants. And then there’s the absence of children…
Sigrid did quickly learn that Gary’s species is “gopherous,” meaning that digging is his thing. Sigrid says that he’s using his body as intended; his shell for plowing and excavating, tongue for capturing food, and legs for energy-efficient digging.
Sigrid had to educate herself about what plants are toxic to tortoises; luckily there’s a site called the Tortoise Table that had all of the information she needed. “Most of what he eats we consider weeds,” she said. No arugula; but lots of dandelion flowers, white clover and chicory. Strawberries, carrots and grape leaves are his favorites.
He also gets a good soaking each week, which is good for his skin.
Here are the characteristics Sigrid ascribes to Gary, after so much of their time spent together:
He’s observant
He’s determined
He’s not deterred by changes to his surroundings
He moves at his own pace
He rests when he needs to
He blows bubbles
He’s okay in his body
He gives himself time for leisure
And now the world—and all of his fans– have a chance to see and get to know Gary better, thanks to his own YouTube channel. Video titles include Gary’s bout with constipation, Gary observing ants and eating them, Gary drinking water and making bubbles, and Gary’s efficient digging. Sigrid has also designed a most delightful “Lessons from a Desert Tortoise” slide show that further educates folks about the life of a reptilian rock star.
For those of you appreciating how much Sigrid has given to Gary, Sigrid wants you to know how much Gary gives back. She considers him a therapy animal who’s provided much fun, especially during the pandemic with all its stressors. “We’re spoiled because we get to have Gary to ourselves,” she said.
The Junior Center, which is dedicated to providing equitable access to all of their programs, has not yet announced its re-opening date, but is offering in-person and online summer camp, as well as other online programs.
In March, the Junior Center was heavily damaged in a fire that was related to a homeless encampment on their deck. According to officials, damage from the fire to the interior and exterior of the center was estimated to be as high as $250,000.
Oakland’s Junior Center of Arts and Science is still accepting fire relief donations.
Until the Center reopens and Gary is welcomed back by his adoring fans, they can be assured that he’s in very good hands. And since desert tortoises can live to be as old as 80, one can assume he has many more adventures in his future.
