Education Programs Year in Review

Fiscal Year 2023

The California Science Center is pleased to report that as COVID-19 conditions have improved, most of our programs are now successfully operating in-person. Described below are the educational impacts of our programs on our community during Fiscal Year 2023.

Attendance at the California Science Center for the year-ended June 30, 2023 was 1,672,726.

Hands-On Science Camp offered weeklong classes for grades PreK-8 in summer 2023. With the generous support of donors, 35% of the 3,820 in-person camp enrollment was scholarship funded, allowing children from families with demonstrated financial need to participate free of charge. A formal evaluation of the 2023 Hands-On Science Camp confirmed that the program was a resounding success, with 96% of respondents stating that they enjoyed the hands-on activities and content. On a scale of 1-100 regarding camp impact on interest in science and engineering, the average score was 85. Camper participation was diverse, with more than half of respondents identifying as groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM and 47% identifying as female. We were pleased to receive the following sampling of survey responses from the parents of campers:

  • “My child absolutely loved her 1 week at camp and was sad for it to end. She came home each day excited to tell us about all she did and learned. We all enjoyed the multiple welcomes of 'good morning, scientist' and friendly staff all around. We hope to participate more next summer. Thank you so much!”
  • “Every year we sign up our son for summer camps and every year so far we have felt like we didn't get what we paid for. Not this year! This year was our first year with CSC's science camp and we had an incredible first week. Our son had a blast, we felt like he was learning and having fun, he made new friends, and we knew he was safe and well cared for.”
  • “My oldest son (12) is extremely shy and antisocial. He has trouble making friends with “the cool kids” in school because his love of science is not cool. He felt very much in his element in science camp, along with the kids who were attending, and would run over happily to me at pickup time because he couldn’t wait to tell me his stories of what he did and show me pictures (such as his dissections).”

Additionally, this past summer our Camp-in-a-Backpack program collaborated with community partners School on Wheels, LACER (Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education, and Recreation) Afterschool Programs, Para Los Niños and Brotherhood Crusade to distribute 500 kits (in English and Spanish) with scientific tools and activity guides to youth who were unable to attend camp in person.

Community Youth Programs engaged 247 middle school students in the Young Curators Program. Participants are from under-resourced neighborhoods surrounding the California Science Center in Exposition Park, Los Angeles and youth from partner organizations including Brotherhood Crusade, LACER Afterschool Programs, Heart of Los Angeles and Para Los Niños. During the fall session, Young Curators broke down the concepts of biological energy through various activities, including modeling human digestion to show how nutrients get absorbed into the body, testing foods for glucose and making ice cream to investigate endothermic reactions. In the winter/spring session, students took on the role of civil engineers and constructed models of cities using designs that included earthquake resistant structures, efficient water transportation systems and sustainable energy sources. From June to August 2023, Young Curators attended Hands-On Science Camp for a week of science exploration and investigation through various courses on physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, space and Earth sciences./p>

Twelve high school students in the Community Teen Program helped to deliver science education programming and worked on various projects. They facilitated Q&A sessions between divers and audiences during our Science Spectacular Kelp Forest Exploration dive shows; helped to engage more than 500,000 guests in Science Live! programming, including facilitating interactions with marine animals in the Rocky Shore Tank in the Ecosystems gallery; and supported Hands-On Science Camp by preparing materials, acting as hospitality leads and providing teaching assistance. Students also conducted research in the Science Center’s greenhouse to discover the effects of liquids, music and tone on plants. As part of their college readiness and personal development instruction, students attended workshops on several topics related to college onboarding, financial aid, networking, resume writing, public speaking, and personal finance.

Verbum Dei High School Internship Program. It was a busy year for student interns, and we are proud of the excellent work they accomplished during their internships at the Science Center. In August 2022, we welcomed six new and three returning student interns (three freshman, three juniors and three seniors). Students engaged in professional development experiences and were exposed to career opportunities through project-based learning activities.

Virtual Field Trips delivered 57 live sessions on Life Science and Physical Science topics to 1,328 K-5th grade students. The complementary video content, available in English and Spanish on the California Science Center’s website to anyone free of charge, received 53,905 views.

Educator Professional Development provided training on content and pedagogy to 720 TK-5 teachers from underperforming schools on the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Big Lab Programs provided 348 hands-on, minds-on learning experiences to 10,488 students participating in facilitated field trips with lab activities ranging from making slime to squid dissection to roller coaster engineering.

Science Live! demonstration programs expand upon the scientific principles illustrated in our permanent exhibit galleries and special exhibitions. Educators facilitate fun, hands-on interactions with individuals and small groups of guests throughout the Science Center. Theater-style programs bring interactive learning to larger audiences, such as the Kelp Forest Dive Show, which allows guests to talk with one of the divers under water and learn about the 188,000-gallon Kelp Forest exhibit and the species that reside there.

Science Center School, a TK-5th grade community elementary school in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, serves over 650 students––90% drawn from local underserved communities––with a special integrated curriculum emphasizing science, math and technology.

New Village Girls Academy (NVGA) is an all-girls public charter high school located in the Rampart neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. The school serves students who are facing extreme personal circumstances. The California Science Center began its partnership with NVGA in the Fall of 2014 to offer biology, chemistry, and a science elective onsite at the California Science Center. The classes have continued for nine years with a focus on hands-on, immersive learning for NVGA students.