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The Santa Ana Workforce Investment Bo;ardn'outh Council The Youth Sen°ice Provider Network 3tFP 2005/2006 Orange County Children's Therapeurtic Arts Center for cne educational„artistic and technology training. of our youth, in a safe and nurtwing community envuronment that inspires creativity and learning. Abc,ut Your Organization Description of the Proposer Hour loot; has your organisation been scr-ving Santa Ana vou;th'? OCCTAC has been serving Santa Ana youth close to 5 yeats. OCCTAC'S mission fulfills a high meed in the community of Santa Ana by inter ating parents, children and youth with and without disabiliities in a nurturing community-based environment that teaches respect, cultural diversity, disability azwareness, and inclusion. Six days per week we offer a wide variety of classes (arts, literacy, technology, parenting & counseling) in the mornings, after-school and evenings to enhance the educational .levels of ow students, and provide a vehicae for self-empowerment. Of critical importance to ow mission is to provide youth with access to the ants, literacy and technology training to enhance their self-esteem, accelerate student learning, building leadership skills, and divert youth from negative activitry and influences to positive experiences that can bring about positive changes in their life, arnd further their education and training. \~'h:mt kind of impact has your services made to the youth in the communit}'? Our =Host important accomplishment with youth has been expaneding the level of services we provide to then". and their family in the Santa Ana community, Having expmnded tremendously in four years, OCC'TAC can now serve close to 400 families on a weekly basiis (six days per week)1 OCCTAC provides services to many families of extremely limited resowc~s (including educational and financial resc~!rces). Our families value the opportunities to engage their wouth in our after-school classes becazuse it provides youth a nurttirittg and safe environment for rtnem to learn, enhance their creative skill::.. and support their academic and emotional development. iYVlost of our families can't afford to pay for t~aese sen~ices or have limited access. Without an access to tflrese programs the potential for each your_r's development is limited. Access to these programs is essential to strengthening our communities at-risk. By providing our underprivileged families: access to after-school programs we enable youth to probe their individual potential, gain their conficdence to enter a healthy environment, and prevent youth from engaging in negative activity that is self-destructive. OCCTAC fulfills to ow up rust capacity the foundation's priorities in youth education atnd human services. Finally, of critical impc~-lance to ow mission is to also partner with youth in these :afforts, by exploring the challenges fact.-:_ young people in our community, valuing their contributiams, exploring solutions together, and pro., ,ding youth with access to the arts, literacy and technology ra bring about social changes in their com;_-nunity. Hn~•. du cuu track your outcomes" We track outcomes in a vm-iety of wa_~~s. Program outcomes are me~:ared through quantitative and qualitative information that'„s collected from teachers, parents and stud~~~ts. OCCTAC staff monitors students progress across time: and assessments is always ongoing! !s4os:: programs are assessed through criterion-referenced assessments that are connected to the specific clz~~s:~s andr'or curriculum. Same student outcomes are measured through pre-post tests, and others are base' nn qualitative information gathered through questionnairca_ parent surveys, student literacy and% or~~-- journals, and others.