YOUTH SCIENCE INSTITUTE
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : i**o@y****a.o*g
Mission Statement
YSI was formed as a non-profit public benefit corporation in Santa Clara County, CA in 1953. We teach hands-on, nature-based science to more than 35,000 pre-K through eighth-grade students per year. In the 60 years since our founding, we have taught hundreds of thousands of children. YSI maintains 3 Science & Nature Centers where we deliver our nature-based, science education programs: Alum Rock Park, San Jose; Sanborn County Park, Saratoga; and Vasona Lake County Park, Los Gatos. Each YSI facility is open to the public and has specialized and unique artifacts, collections, and resources that connect children with nature while teaching science. Half of the programs we deliver feature a nature walk and/or a hands-on encounter with our collection of live animals.
About This Cause
Early childhood science education is important, but most public schools face obstacles to including it in their curriculum. Many K-8 public school teachers do not have the time, science background, instructional materials, or facilities to teach science, yet studies show that early exposure of children to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects is critical to sparking a life-long interest in STEM. The need to enhance science education through out-of-school providers like YSI is underscored by a study of Bay Area elementary schools revealing 80% of K-5 teachers spend 60 minutes or less per week on science and 16% spend no time at all on science1. Without supplemental science education from out-of-school providers like YSI, many Santa Clara County students would not have a complete grade-level science curriculum. 1Source: Dorph, R., Goldstein, D., Lee, S., Lepori, K., Schneider, S., Venkatesan, S. (2007). The status of science education in the Bay Area: Research brief. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, California. YSI science programs are inquiry-based and student centered: group work is encouraged so students learn to collaborate and communicate with one another. Our programs enrich the traditional curriculum by providing authentic engagement. The hands-on nature of our programs helps children see that science is fun and exciting, and has real world applications. When children see the relevance of science, learning becomes more meaningful and memorable. We encourage students to be active participants in their own learning. Our experiential, hands-on programs spark interest and engagement in a way that no other learning opportunity can. Although we charge a fee for our school programs, the fee is not sufficient to cover the true cost of providing our programs. For example, our cost to deliver a 1.5-hour school program (YSI programs range from 0.5 hours to 3 hours) is $525, yet schools pay only $235 (45% of the cost). To remain financially stable, we must fundraise to bridge the gap between what schools pay and our actual program delivery costs. We also fundraise to offer additional discounts to Title I schools. Title I schools are defined as having a child poverty rate of at least 40% (most frequently measured by the percent of students eligible to receive free and reduced-price lunch). In general, Title I students are educationally disadvantaged or at risk of failing to meet state standards (numerous studies have shown that there is an inverse relationship between student achievement and school poverty). By offering discounted programs to Title I schools, YSI strives to reduce the performance gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children.