26 years strong
Educating Young Minds, a non-profit learning center, has been helping inner-city elementary, middle, and high school students excel at academics and at life since 1987. EYM provides a rich and diverse supplemental learning environment where a team of educators encourages students to grow academically, emotionally, and socially. EYM offers home-study instruction during the day, after-school tutoring, Saturday preparatory classes for the SAT, ACT, ISEE and other standardized tests, and summer classes in math and english grammar and composition. EYM will also soon be offering online tutoring and career guidance through a new online program, Access No Excuse. EYM supports both the marginalized student at risk of failing and the progressive honor roll student who desires advanced academic support. To date, EYM has served over 3,500 students and their families.
Educating Young Minds also provides counseling, referral to public and social agencies, information and assistance in securing financial aid, and college scholarships. EYM also assists parents in finding placement for students in both public magnet schools and charter schools. By both directly building up students' self-confidence and helping them enter stimulating, academically challenging school environments, EYM promotes the intellectual, emotional, and academic fitness of its students. Students with high levels of self-esteem set higher goals and more often achieve them.
Educating Young Minds grew out of the needs of many students and families for supplemental education and counseling, which over-stressed public schools could not meet. The California drop out rate is 13.2% for the class of 2012, but 100% of high school seniors attending EYM graduate, and 85% go on to graduate from 4-year colleges, such as USC, Stanford, Xavier, Florida A & M., Berkeley, Spelman, and many others.
Every year, EYM celebrates the graduation of its senior class at the Annual Scholarship Gala. Notable politicians, celebrities, and corporate sponsors, the students themselves and their parents are just some of the guests who attend. Over the years, guests have included Former California Senator and current Los Angeles Councilman Curren D. Price, Ludacris, Bill Duke, Keith David, Obba Babatunde, Meagan Good, Kym Whitley, and Taraji P. Henson. EYM has awarded more than $750,000 in college scholarships at the Annual Scholarship Gala.
Over the 26 years Educating Young Minds has been in operation, it has thrived. EYM has steadily grown its teaching staff and received numerous awards and recognitions. Also, EYM has expanded the summer, home-school, and after-school programs and equipped its classrooms with internet access.
The expansion of this program and all of its accolades and accomplishments are impressive and inspirational. This forward-looking program is unique in Southern California.