The Community Learning Centers (CLCs)

The CLC Mission

We serve a diverse community by providing an after-school program where youth receive academic support and a variety of enrichment activities necessary for holistic development.

The CLC Vision

To produce the next generation of independent thinkers who believe “I can.”

The CLC Four Pillars

Compassion
Integrity
Attitude
Initiative

Education Program Development

Our objective is to build a supportive atmosphere of learning and development in collaboration with our students' teachers and parents. We believe in compassionate, culturally-sensitive teaching, founded on the notion that academic success begins with healthy social-emotional development.

We provide daily, individualized academic support through a low teacher-to-student ratio, by assessing students' academic needs, and by remaining cognizant of each student's home environment and at-home responsibilities. Through daily homework help, tutoring, and the influence of positive adult role models, we strive to equip our students with the tools necessary to succeed in all areas of life.

Community Learning Center Renovations

Renovating our community Learning Centers and Teen Center has been our biggest ongoing project. Over the past several months, we have: donated/discarded items we no longer needed, replaced dilapidated furniture, reorganized, and so much more. Our goal is to get our centers looking clean, spacious, and an inviting place for our youth! Our generous partners at Coast Supply Co. will be giving our kitchens a new and fresh look.

Expansion of Volunteer Tutoring

A low teacher-to-student ratio is fundamental to providing individualized academic support for our students. Therefore, we have made it a priority to expand our network of tutor volunteers through new partnerships with local organizations. We have partnered with Partners in Education, Santa Barbara High School, UC Santa Barbara, Westmont College, Kingdom Causes, and OceanHills Covenant Church. While the average teacher-to-student ratio is 1:23 in California schools, our current ratio of 1:3 allows for the individualized support that our students need!

“The center feels like family because I have been here so long and know so many people. I feel like if I didn’t come here, I wouldn’t have made strong connections. My favorite part is the cool places we get to go to. At the center, I have learned how to communicate with people and how to control my attitude.”

— Sophia S., 7th Grader

Measurable Outcomes

Enrollment has increased to 37 total students, ages K-12
We have a total of 8 enrichment programs weekly
Our teen program has grown to 22 participants
Through our Career/College Nights we have hosted 15 speakers

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)

A vast majority of our students come from Spanish-speaking homes, and as a result, are considered English Learners. Therefore, a top priority at our centers is to make sure our students are RECLASSIFIED as fluent English Proficient (RFEP). These reclassification assessments occur once a year.

Today we celebrate the beginning of a new school year at our Community Leanring Centers! Our staff and volunteers are ready to support our students with their math and history homework, making sure they get all their reading done, and even busting ou

For this week's Staff Appreciation, we would like to recognize our amazing Education Coordinator Madison Smoak. She exemplifies what it means to be a changemaker and a community-shaker here at the Turner Foundation. As an Education Coordinator, Madis

We would like to give a big shout out to the Unity Shoppe! Every other Thursday this semester, they have opened their doors to give our teens the opportunity to volunteer! Whether it be stocking shelves, taking inventory or placing barcodes on items,

Huge shout out for @paddlesportscenter for having our students over for Spring Break! Students and staff were treated to a day of kayaking and beach time fun! Paddle Sports has always been helpful toward our students, and we are happy to have friend

During spring break, we were given the opportunity to connect with the Santa Barbara Historical Museum again! Our students participated in an educational scavenger hunt around the museum and were able to tour their newest exhibit about the life and a

Two weeks ago, our students and staff had the opportunity to visit The Watershed Resource Center at Hendry's Beach! Students spent the morning learning about watersheds, different types of marine and land pollution, and participated in a beach clean-

Young Leaders Academy is our newest teen enrichment program, which meets weekly to explore student passions and qualities that make each of them unique. This spring, teen girls are reading "Finding Your Element" by Ken Robinson with weekly

This spring, our students have put their green thumbs to work during Gardening Club. Every week students learn how to tend to the soil, plant fruit, veggies, and flowers, as well as the responsibility of watering regularly. With the help of Westmont

Our Student Highlight this week goes to Estrella Botello! Estrella joined the program two years, and after a brief hiatus, she’s back! Ever since her return, she has been nothing but a rising star! Whenever she’s finished with her homewor

Today's staff highlight is our Director of Youth and Community Programs, Mavel Tortoledo. Mavel facilitates both the Community Learning Centers at The Village and The Lighthouse and our newest program, The Foundation House. Mavel launched the Foundat

Kick-art your day⚡️

For the first Art Class of the year our students work on a batch of Perler Beads designs with the wonderful instruction of Jaime!

#communitylearningcenters #CLCs #theturnerfoundation #learningcenters #afterschool #programing #s

Teen Book club started again this Thursday with a new book: The Outsiders. Students will meet weekly to read chapters of the book and have discussions about the material with staff. Last semester, teens read Just Mercy and enjoyed discussing social i

Happy Holidays! Our
CLC staff were recently hired by Santa to help deliver gifts to our students and residents! We are grateful to have the opportunity to deliver cheer to our residents this Holiday Season!

Many thanks to both @oceanhills and @unity

Today’s Staff Highlight is the boss man himself, Donnie Feller! As the Director of Operations, Donnie makes sure that all of our programs runs smoothly! We are very grateful to have him lead the Turner Foundation program staff. Donnie is always

We would love to give a shoutout to our recent guest speaker, Katie Kinsella, from Mission Scholars! We are appreciative of the time Katie spent talking with our teen program about college application preparation, scholarships, and what Mission Schol

We would like to give a shout out 📣 to Bethany Sutherland! For several years, Bethany has taken time to come teach hip hop dancing to our students! From the team building and stretches to the dancing origins and fundamentals, Bethany does an amazing

Youth Programs

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Social-emotional learning is the process through which individuals come to: manage their emotions, set and work towards goals, empathize with others, and establish positive relationships. Decades of research suggest that cultivating an environment that promotes the development of these 'soft skills' not only improves student well-being and classroom behavior, but drastically improves students' academic performance. In addition, SEL actually reduces poverty and improves economic mobility - an imperative, long-term outcome for the low-income families we serve.

At our Learning Centers, we have incorporated these values into our daily programming. Students have: learned and discussed the meaning of gratitude, set academic and personal goals to work towards in the new year, and staff have received ongoing training on how to mentor and guide our youth.

Learning with a GROWTH mindset

Hand-in-hand with SEL is the core learning concept of a growth mindset. Our students are taught that intelligence is not 'fixed', but rather, achievement comes from hard work and perseverance. As a result, challenges are seen as opportunities to learn and improve ourselves, rather than threats to an 'innate, fixed intelligence.'

Enrichment Programs

Gardening

Our students put their green thumbs to work once a week to cultivate gardens at each of our communities. Through hands-on education, our students learn about planting, pruning, maintaining healthy plant environments and growth, and even healthy eating habits! Caring for plants helps teach responsibility and pride in taking care of their community!

Art

Our students have various opportunities to explore their creative side, one of them being through visual art. Not only do our students cultivate an appreciation for the art they see and make, but they also can learn from it. Last semester, Terry Duffy from Compatible Alternatives helped our students learn about healthy digestion by creating a visual representation of the human anatomy and how food passes through each organ!

Music Exploration

Our Director of Music Programs, David Rojas, uses music to help students foster intellectual engagement and growth by engaging students in imagination through music. By providing free access to high quality instruments and well-designed curriculum, this program helps students become creatively emotionally stronger musicians.

Dance

At the C.L.C incorporating physical movement into daily programming is important. With the help of Bethany Sutherland, our students use dance to combine creative expression with movement. The students participate in hip-hop, as well as learn the musical roots behind their favorite songs and artists, with some public performances along the way!

Kids Farmers Market

The C.L.C. is happy to partner with the Santa Barbara County Food Bank’s Kids’ Farmers Market. Once a month, our students engage in lessons about the importance of healthy eating and how to identify where their food comes from. Plus, at the end of class, students get to make a snack of their own and bring a fresh box of produce home to their families

Sports Camp

Students get the opportunity to be active and participate in fun sports camps during programming. Sports camp involves a wide range of sports from soccer to football, while including some relay races and parkour drills. No matter what their favorite activity is, our students love to get moving and join in the fun competition!

Community Service

Our program recognizes the importance of teaching our youth to give back to their community. We partner with other non-profits, participate in beach clean-ups, and hold community service activities for our teens to get involved! Not only do students bond while working together, but also complete their community service requirements for high school graduation. Our students have done 5 beach and neighborhood cleanups as well as over 20 hours at Unity Shoppee!

Summer Camps

Every summer the students enrolled in our C.L.C.s are invited to join our 8-week summer camp program. Many students lose reading comprehension and other important educational skills over the summer. To combat this issue, we ensure that our students not only have fun but also experience educational opportunities throughout the community while emphasizing reading and other skills. Each week is themed around a hands-on field trip to one of the amazing places around Santa Barbara. In 2021, our students visited the Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, MOXI, Carpentaria State Beach, the Santa Barbara Presidio, and so many more.

Download the Summer Camp Registration Packet English

Download the Summer Camp Registration Packet Spanish

“I would like to thank The Turner Foundation and all who help support them. There were moments that I believed giving up was the easiest answer, but God never gave up on me, and has put these special people in my path —I call them angels.”

— Delilah S, parent of Elijah and Lluvia

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Teen Programs

Career Night

One of our newer programs to our Teen Program is Career Night! After asking our students what kind of professions they would like to hear about, we connect with professionals in the Santa Barbara community to come and share with our students. From finance and mental health to law enforcement and engineering, we want our teens to feel encouraged to launch into their next chapter with confidence!

College Readiness

Another program offered out of our Teen Program is College Readiness. We meet with our teens individually 2-3 times during fall and spring programming to help students evaluate their next steps and any additional needed support. This includes providing them with opportunities to apply to Mission Scholars, complete FASFAs, and bring in local college representatives to leave high school with confidence and purpose!

Book Club

Our teens read together and discuss the book once a week. They have been reading The Outsiders and love it! We are excited to see their reading level and comprehension excel as they get to learning in community with one another! So far, our teens have completed over 3 books!

Teens Love Cooking

One of the best smelling (and tasting) programs our teens do is Teens Love Cooking, a program through the Santa Barbara County Food Bank. Our teens make delicious, healthy food all from scratch, while learning about the different nutritional food groups that we consume on a regular basis. Not only do students get to take home yummy meals, but they can also prepare it all on their own.

Teen Hour

During Teen Hour, our students can learn about a multitude of different topics from history to holidays to important figures in society. Teen Hour also includes one of our students favorite activities, debate night. By allowing students debate about different current and historical topics, we teach them how to structure a well-supported argument through research, sharp reasoning skills, and respect for one another.

“I have been living at The Village for 20 years. My son, Angel, started coming when he was four years old and finished when he graduated high school. Now my daughter is enrolled at the center and has been here since she was four or five, as well. The center is enthusiastic, motivating, and a positive environment. The center allows the kids to be kids while growing learning skills like cooking and helping others. Sophia is learning how to be herself, use her voice, and become comfortable socially. She gets to experience things that help with her attitude, maturity and education.”

— Zuliana G., Mother of Angel and Sophia S.