THINK Together runs a number of different programs to meet the needs of students from a variety of backgrounds. Please choose the appropriate program from the list below.
Not sure which program you are looking for? View our Frequently Asked Questions page.
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THINK Together |
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Scholarship funded programs for our partner schools
Our largest program, (called simply, THINK Together) utilizes funds from the government, corporations, foundations, organizations, and individuals to provide full scholarships so that even the neediest students can participate in our programs.
These programs consist of homework help, academic enrichment, structured physical activity, and nutrition education. These programs typically operate in schools with a free and reduced lunch populations greater than 50%. Many of these students stuggle academically, and may not have the resources at home that would allow them to catch up to their peers. With many of the parents of these students working multiple jobs, they need a safe place to go after school where they can get the assistance they need to reach their full potential.
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Early Literacy |
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There are close to 5,000 children entering kindergarten each school year in the City of Santa Ana. One in three children enter school lacking the basic pre-reading skills which are proven to be a key factor in determining high school graduation and lifelong success. In order to support the hundreds of families in Santa Ana with children ages 0-5, the Children and Families Commission of Orange County deemed Early Literacy programs necessary to bridge the gap for students who did not have access to a preschool program or other support services for pre-k school readiness. Early Literacy programs have proven an effective approach to improving reading and retention scores and language development for young children.
By creating a partnership with THINK Together to deliver Early Literacy programs, THINK's resources can be leveraged for a synergistic strategy with the school district and the community. Five elementary school sites - Pio Pico, Heninger, Walker, Madison, and Franklin will each have a full time community outreach coordinator who will implement two key Early Literacy Programs with families. This model allows a deeper reach to families and communities with the greatest need. The two programs being implemented are Raising a Reader and The Latino Family Literacy Project.
Raising a Reader is designed to foster healthy child development and early literacy skills critical for school success by engaging parents in a routine of daily reading with their young children. Parents learn strategies anchored to language development research and storytelling traditions to help inspire low-literacy families to share books with their children, even when there are significant language barriers or they cannot read at all. The bilingual books and materials are tailored to diverse cultural traditions and are customized to a variety of multicultural and multilingual communities.
The Latino Family Literacy Project provides support for parents and their children in building a regular family reading routine and developing strong language skills. This program is also adaptable to other languages. The bi-lingual program is a proven success model that has developed the base language for children to enable them to learn to read in English when they start school.
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High School |
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THINK Together Teens – T3
Beginning in October, THINK Together will be opening it’s first four 21st Century ASSETs High School “Afterschool” Programs. These programs are designed to serve the older youth in our communities, as well as their families. The high schools that will begin THINK Together’s venture into high school programming are Century and Valley High Schools in the Santa Ana School District, as well as Azusa and Gladstone High Schools in the Azusa School District. These high school programs now make it possible for youth to be involved in afterschool programming in all of their K-12 school years.
The purpose of these 21st Century ASSETs programs is to establish community learning centers that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities, and activities designed to complement the students’ regular academic program. These community learning centers must also offer literacy and related programs to the families of these students. At the same time, centers help working parents, by providing a safe place for students during nonschool hours or periods when school is not in session, (evenings, weekends, vacations, and summers).
High school programs have three required elements: Academic Assistance, Enrichment, and Family Literacy Services. The Academic Assistance programming may include, Homework Assistance, Tutoring and Mentoring Services, California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Prep Classes, and Credit Recovery Classes. Enrichment programming, of which students will determine the types of programs they want, may include Fine Arts and Music, Computer and Technology, Job Readiness/Career/Technical Training, Mentoring and Tutoring Opportunities, as well as Physical Fitness and Recreational Activities. The Family Literacy component is designed to bring programming to adult family members of the high school students. Family Literacy programming may include, English Language Literacy, Computer Literacy, Employment / Interview Support, and Financial / Economic Self Sufficiency Classes.
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Tutoring |
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Supplemental Educational Services/SES
THINK Together became an approved provider of Supplemental Education Services in the summer of 2008. SES stands for Supplemental Educational Services but it means free tutoring for qualifying students. The School District determines who qualifies. However, you should attend one of the fairs (if your District offers it), or simply be alert for information sent in the mail. Our SES program, or Free Tutoring, is designed to be done in small group instruction and it concentrates on the specific academic needs of a child in Math or Language Arts. And how do we know what the child needs help on? The parent/guardian goes through the process of choosing a provider, meaning the parent filled out the SES application and turned it back into the district. If the parent/guardian wrote down THINK Together as their 1st choice, then the School District would let us know and we would get in touch with the parent/guardian. At this time we set up a meeting for the parent to be present with the child in which the parent fills out a registration form and the child takes an assessment that lets us know exactly where this child needs help academically. We use this information to properly place the child to get the specific academic help he/she needs.
Many parents get confused with THINK Together After-School and, THINK Together SES They are two separate programs. If a parent wants his/her child to receive Free Tutoring, the parent must go through the District Office and fill out an application of SES If a parent would like to get his/her child in the After-School program the parent must contact the THINK Together Site Coordinator for that particular school.
We provide the SES or Free Tutoring at the schools after school. We do not go to people’s homes, to the library, or any other place. Our instruction takes place after school at the school.
We normally provide an average of 40 hours of instruction and that takes about 4 months to get covered. We offer 1.5 hours of instruction twice a week for a total of 3 hours a week.
And what do we use to teach our children? We designed our own curriculum with the California Standards in mind. We did not buy it made photocopies out of a book. We did it ourselves! With lessons tailored to last exactly 1.5 hours and separated into portions keeping in mind children’s attention spans. Here is an idea what an English Language Arts Lesson Format looks like: 5 minutes of warm up, 15 minutes of word analysis, 20 vocabulary development, 25 reading, 15 minutes of Test Prep and, 10 minutes of debrief. Time seems to fly when we are teaching. Kids love it and we love it!
We are very proud of the work we do and hope that you keep THINK Together in mind when making a decision to chose a provider for your child’s Free Tutoring (SES) needs.
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THINK Together CARE |
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Child care services for working parents
Combining Academics Recreation and Enrichment THINK Together CARE offers parents the highest quality of care for their kids. When parents go to work, they want to know that their kids are in a safe environment where they are engaged and enjoying themselves.
THINK Together CARE provides an organized environment, where students recieve homework help from a dedicated and caring staff, and engage in age-appropriate enrichment and recreation activities, all with the convenience of on-campus locations.
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Enrichment Classes |
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Kids need a well-rounded education, and with many schools cutting back on programs like science, art, and music, students may not be getting all they need during the school day. By partnering with schools to offer a variety of enrichment classes, THINK Together gives kids the change to expand their learning into all sorts of exciting frontiers.
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