The Academic Success initiative helps keep students on track in their education through core programs and an enriched curriculum.
It is our goal that every child we serve achieves on-time grade progression, graduates from high school, completes post secondary education or training, and earns a livable wage as a productive member of our community. The Academic Success initiative is led by a comprehensive approach to ensuring on time grade progression and 21st Century skill development through homework assistance, intervention support, targeted programs and STEAM integration.
Out-of-school time – after school and summer – is the most critical and overlooked opportunity to help youth reach their full potential and have a great future. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, we offer academic programs and hands-on learning opportunities that complement and reinforce what kids learn in school. We refer to this as “expanded learning.”
The Need
Annually, approximately 3000 students in Monterey County do not graduate high school on time and about half dropout entirely. When compared to their counterparts with diplomas, students without diplomas earn almost $300,000 less over their lifetime and can have a negative impact on the United States economy. Additionally, dropouts are more than three times as likely as college graduates to be unemployed, twice as likely as high school graduates to slip into poverty and 3.5 times more likely than graduates to be incarcerated.
Fused Learning creates STEAM (STEM & Arts) content specifically focused on the 4 C’s of Common Core (Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity). Projects are built as an easy on-ramp to introduce the engineering and design process to our members. The lessons are built on active, hands-on/ project based learning incorporating Low-tech (cut n’ paste), High-tech (digital design and cutting) to WOW-tech (using 3D fabrication technology).
Engineering Adventures is a robust curriculum created especially for kids in grades 3 – 5 in out-of-school time programs. It is part of a project of the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®) at the Museum of Science, Boston called Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®). The project and its curriculum are designed to meet America’s pressing need for effective STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, recognizing the growing importance of technological literacy and the need for trained scientists and engineers.
The Tech Challenge at the Tech Museum of Invention, presented by EMC, is a team design challenge that asks girls and boys in grades 4-12 to develop creative solutions to real-world challenges in familiar settings. Over the years, young people from elementary, middle and high school have built devices to move water, explore Mars craters, fight wildfires and collect samples in the rainforest.
Engineering Everywhere (EE) is an engineering curriculum for middle-school-aged youth in after-school and camp programs. The intriguing engineering challenge empowers youth to tackle real-world, personally meaningful, and globally relevant engineering problems using the Engineering Design Process along with creativity and collaboration. Each unit includes 6-10 activities; each takes 45-60 minutes to complete.
The Engineering is Elementary Curriculum is the nation’s leading engineering curriculum for our youngest Club members. The EiE curriculum includes 20 hands-on engineering design challenges that compliment our science units. It is part of a project of the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®) at the Museum of Science, Boston called Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®). The project and its curriculum are designed to meet America’s pressing need for effective STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, recognizing the growing importance of technological literacy and the need for trained scientists and engineers.
Making Minutes Count helps Club members ages 6-18 achieve academic success by providing homework help, tutoring and high-yield learning activities and encouraging members to become self-directed learners. Printed program materials include a resource guide for program coordinators, homework helpers and tutors and a poster-sized Power Points chart for tracking and rewarding participants’ progress.
DreamBox Learning Math is an adaptive, online K-8 math program designed to complement classroom instruction and deliver results. Driven by Intelligent Adaptive Learning™ technology, DreamBox adapts to students’ actions to meet them at the right level–with personalized instruction that promotes student decision making and strategy development. DreamBox has a challenging, standards-aligned curriculum, available in English and Spanish, that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solving problems. The program empowers our Difference Makers with real-time data and academic insights to inform learning customizable professional development aligned to our specific instructional goals and needs.
The Read Naturally Strategy combines the three powerful, research-proven strategies of teacher-modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring to create an effective tool that individualizes instruction and improves reading proficiency. Using audio support and tracking their progress, students work with high-interest material at their skill level to improve fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
The KidzLit program is a reading enrichment program designed specifically for use in out-of-school settings. It increases young people’s motivation to read and builds their literacy skills. At the same time, it develops core values of helpfulness, fairness, personal responsibility, and respect for others. Leaders use a five-part process in which children hear engaging books read aloud—or read them independently—and make connections to their own lives. They express their feelings and grapple with big ideas through discussion, drama, art, movement, and writing.
DreamBox Learning Math is an adaptive, online K-8 math program designed to complement classroom instruction and deliver results. Driven by Intelligent Adaptive Learning™ technology, DreamBox adapts to students’ actions to meet them at the right level–with personalized instruction that promotes student decision making and strategy development. DreamBox has a challenging, standards-aligned curriculum, available in English and Spanish, that is evidence based to promote student growth and deeper conceptual understanding by encouraging different pathways to solving problems. The program empowers our Difference Makers with real-time data and academic insights to inform learning customizable professional development aligned to our specific instructional goals and needs.
Teen club members participate in book club with self selected books with the support of a long time volunteer. Book club members read the book aloud and discuss what was read based on a series of questions throughout the hour. At the culmination of book club, members celebrate with a party and watch the movie based on the book, if the movie is available. These experiences allow members to think critically about what they just read and compare and contrast the book and the movie. Book club is popular amongst our teen members.
The Read Naturally Strategy combines the three powerful, research-proven strategies of teacher-modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring to create an effective tool that individualizes instruction and improves reading proficiency. Using audio support and tracking their progress, students work with high-interest material at their skill level to improve fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Our art club is for members of all ages to experience different art periods. Currently members are working on the Surrealist and Pop Art periods. Members practice art styles by the different artists within those periods. Their work goes on to be displayed throughout the clubhouses and in our Marti Mulford Art Exhibit. Members and staff are able to vote on pieces to submit to the National Fine Arts Exhibit.
This Spring exhibit is our crowning arts event and is named in honor of Marti Mulford, who was a local artist and friend of BGCMC. Traditionally, it has been hosted at a partnering organization such as the Monterey Museum of Art or the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Participating youth artists are invited to an exhibit reception along with their family members and receive medals in recognition of their talent and hard work. Two members are selected from each Club site to be named Youth Artist and Jr. Youth Artist of the Year for their good character, artistic talent and dedication to their craft.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County partners with our local chapter of Guitars Not Guns (GNG) to provide free guitar sessions for members in grades 3 or higher. Members learn about the basics of guitar, learn a handful of popular songs and perform them for their fellow Club members. Members who participate in all 8 sessions and practice earn their own guitar to keep. Dedicated graduates are encouraged to continue onto more advanced lessons from their volunteer guitar instructor.
Drawings, paintings, prints, collages, mixed media works & sculptures created by our very talented Members throughout the year are framed, labeled and exhibited at our Seaside and Salinas Clubhouses. Each Clubhouse hosts an arts-themed Family Night every winter to kick off the exhibit so all Members and their families celebrate the hard work and talent of our young artists. Artists and professionals from the art community are invited to help select artwork from all age groups to send to Boys & Girls Clubs of America western regional exhibit hosts. A western regional exhibit is then hosted at a participating Clubhouse and another panel of professionals from the art community select pieces to be sent to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Fine Arts Exhibit. Out of thousands of pieces of amazing artwork, thirty seven are selected to tour the country at Boys & Girls Clubs of America conferences. BGCMC has had a handful of our members recognized nationally and even more recognized regionally. All BGCMC members have an opportunity to exhibit their work and are celebrated at a local, regional or national scale.
Our BGCMC choir performs at the various Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County community events and celebrations during the year. Members from our different Club sites come together to highlight the spirit of celebration and music in choral arrangements.