Boston

A Better Chance – National *
Grades: 4-9
A Better Chance seeks to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. This is done by facilitating their entry into independent college preparatory schools. Through its network of member schools, A Better Chance is able to leverage an estimated $20+ million per year in financial aid for talented, economically disadvantaged youth of color. More than 96% of A Better Chance's graduates go on to college directly after high school, a majority entering our country's most selective colleges.

ACCESS Children and Families 
All ages
We are the children and families arm of ACCESS (American Chinese Christian Education and Social Services). We are located in the heart of Chinatown, and offer various resources for the immigrant community. We run both the After-School Enrichment Program (ASEP) and the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) for children in Kindergarten (k2) to 5th grade.

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) 
All ages
ABCD uses a comprehensive approach that systematically addresses the range of barriers faced by households in poverty – from day-to-day crises to long-term needs for jobs and education. ABCD has been helping low-income youth prepare for college and work for over 45 years through its signature SummerWorks program. During the school year, youth can also participate in Career Exploration programs, which introduce younger workers to career fields and job skills that teach the importance of work and contribute to family income and stability.

All Dorchester Sports League 
All ages
The All Dorchester Sports League offers sports, fitness/nutrition and education programs for youth that emphasize the life skills, academic focus, healthy and active lifestyles required to succeed in community life and become successful adults.

August Scholars 
Grades: 4-6
August Scholars is a three-week, tuition-free, academic summer program for lower income children in Boston who need summertime academic support to avoid serious learning loss. The program is designed for students rising into fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

Bird Street Community Center 
Grades: K-College
Bird Street Community Center (legally incorporated as "Upham's Corner Community Center, Inc.") is a private, nonprofit organization providing high quality, affordable child care and recreational, educational and developmental activities for children and youth in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. We serve more than 1300 youth between the ages of 5 and 22 year-round with a variety of programs that encourage and promote their intellectual, physical, and social development.

Boston City Lights 
All Ages
Boston City Lights is a free performing arts school. Boston City Lights educates children in dance, singing, acting, sound production, set design, and community participation and organization. Classes are offered seven days a week.

College Bound Dorchester
All ages
Everyday College Bound Dorchester's educators work with diverse populations between 3 months to 27 years of age, including at-risk youth, newly arrived immigrants and families struggling to provide educational support to their children. In each program, College Bound Dorchester provides educational services to the underserved and lays the foundation for future academic, economic and social success. College Bound Dorchester focuses on three major areas of education serving students from 0-80 years of age: Early Education, Out of School Time and College Connections.

Crossroads for Kids 
Grades: 3-12
Crossroads for Kids inspires at-risk youth to develop their innate potential to become members of the next generation of diverse young leaders in Boston and Massachusetts. Through a combination of immersive summer camp and year-round mentoring and enrichment programs, Crossroads provides youth ages 7 – 18 years old with comprehensive support, resources and opportunities which guide them toward academic success, higher education, meaningful careers and responsible citizenship.

Horizons at Dedham Country Day School – National
Grades: PreK-3
Horizons at DCD draws students from the Dedham and Boston communities and provides a free-of-charge six-week program of academic and cultural enrichment, swimming lessons, weekly field trips, and social support. In each grade are students who are considered “achievers” and students who have potential but are under-performing in their classes and can benefit from a low student-teacher ratio. Targeted reading instruction, combined with project-based STEM and theme curricula, not only erases the “summer slide” but also sends students back to school better prepared.

Hyde Square Task Force 
All ages
Hyde Square Task Force has grown into a professionally-run nonprofit with deep community ties and a reputation as one of the most dynamic community-based organizations in Boston. Each year, we serve 1000 youth ages 6-21 from Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and across Boston through leadership development, college preparation, arts & cultural enrichment, youth-led community organizing and positive community-building events.

Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA)
All ages
IBA – Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción empowers individuals through education, workforce development and arts programs and creates vibrant affordable housing communities. IBA serves youth through: Escuelita Boriken, a bilingual and multicultural preschool, the Cacique Children's Learning Center after school program, and the Cacique Youth Learning Center.

The Institute for Pan African Cultural Education (P.A.C.E.) 
Ages: 5-14
The Institute for Pan African Cultural Education Inc. (P.A.C.E.) is committed to culture, education and social development for youth achievement. The vision of P.A.C.E. is to serve at risk youth through its Straight A’s Initiative and its Community & Youth Development Projects. Currently P.A.C.E. programs are located in Mattapan specifically to serve youth ages 5-14, promoting youth achievement through dance, drama, martial arts, music and celebratory events.

MGH Youth Programs
Grades: 3-12
Massachusetts General Hospital Youth Programs aims to provide 465 youth each year with academic, life, and career skills that expand and enhance their educational and career options. MGH takes a “longitudinal approach” that recognizes the value of fostering STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills and interests in young people across a broad age spectrum, from 3rd grade to college. Students from schools and youth-serving programs across the Boston area participate in a variety of age-appropriate programs.

Tenacity 
Grades: 4-12
Founded in 1999, Tenacity is a Boston-based organization dedicated to helping at-risk urban youth develop skills, build character and find pathways to excellence. Combining tennis and fitness with literacy, tutoring and mentoring activities, Tenacity has served over 20,000 kids through after-school, in school and summer programs.

Wheelock College Education Outreach 
All ages
The College supports a wide variety of initiatives that further our commitment to enacting positive change in our community. These range from an arts outreach program for high school students to an innovative partnership that is revitalizing a community center in one of Boston's most underserved neighborhoods to conferences and programs that help improve educational instruction to Youth Symposiums that gather hundreds of area middle and high school students for a dialogue about civic engagement, self-respect, and other topics.

Worcester Pipeline Collaborative 
Grades: K-12
In 1996, the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) made a conscious commitment to get directly involved with the public education system to help improve and strengthen the curricula of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Partnership activities include: mentoring, job-shadowing, tutoring, clinical, research internships, after-school science programs, visiting scientist programs, a speaker's bureau and family involvement activities. Through these efforts, students learn to set high expectations for themselves, as they participate in rigorous K-12 mathematics and science curricula, and develop language skills required to enter competitive collegiate programs.

YES Kids 
Ages: 7-18
Youth Enrichment Services (YES) is a youth development organization that introduces Boston kids and teens to the great outdoors through skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, rock climbing, and other sports. Our Operation SnowSports and Outdoor Adventure programs instill positive values, help kids develop a healthy lifestyle, and teach teamwork. YES also runs the YES Academy which provides year-round opportunities for youth to learn the critical skills needed to be successful in college, work, and life. YES has been providing youth development, leadership, and enrichment programs for the past 44 years and has served over 100,000 Boston kids.