The Third Street Community Center’s signature program Inspiring Young Minds and Families consists of three interrelated components. At the core of our program is our comprehensive After School Academic Program also known as ASAP. Supporting this core is our adult education components, English as a Second Language and the Don Edwards Computer Learning Academy, which encourage parental involvement in education and provides families with a safe place to learn, grow, and share their experiences so that organic support systems can develop to nurture children as they become young adults. Our curriculum is designed to create a pathway of support for young students from elementary school to successful transition into middle school.

TSCC uses ‘project based learning’ and ‘whole child, whole family, whole community’ as an innovative approach to engaging multiple key stakeholders in the education of children and support for their parents.

Project based learning is an educational strategy that fully engages students in hands-on learning. In the classroom and in the community, students are actively involved in conducting research, problem solving, and synthesizing information both individually and as a team. Our classes maintain a low instructor to student ratio to enhance our small learning environment setting and to provide optimal supervision for academically at-risk students.

The concept of whole child, whole family and whole community recognizes the importance of a parent or adult mentor’s role in a child’s academic success as well as the importance of creating a healthy vibrant community. Our philosophical approach to nurturing children as they explore and become life long learners includes working side by side with teachers, parents, school administrators, and our downtown neighbors such as the faith community, small business owners, the high tech industry and local museums.

Inspiring Young Minds and Families links project based learning within the context of whole child, whole family, and whole community to support families as they strive to create their own opportunities, improve their lives and provide their children with rich educational opportunities.