Ocean Institute
PROGRAMS
Adopt A Class
Our Adopt-A-Class program enables underserved students from Title I schools across California, to visit the Ocean Institute for hands-on STEM education. The Adopt-A-Class program is crucial to give these students the opportunity to take their learning beyond the classroom. The program is truly life-changing for these students, as many have never seen the ocean, or been on a boat before. With your generosity, underserved students from Title I Schools in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties will have an opportunity to learn marine science, and maritime history and study the ocean environment while having fun! Any amount contributed makes a difference!
Our mantra is, “Experience is the Teacher”, and students engage in real-world, hands-on experiences, that range from squid dissections to kayak explorations, touching sea stars to examining jellyfish life cycles, and, most memorable, sails on the Spirit of Dana Point or cruises on our Research Vessel, Sea Explorer. As students dive into these unique and fun educational experiences, the conditions are set for deep learning.
Ocean Institute is committed to ensuring access to this “essential enrichment” and we have been vigilant about focusing grant requests and fundraising efforts on supporting AAC.
With inflation increasing the costs related to delivering our programs (cost of insurance, fuel, staffing, supplies) and constraints on school budgets, requests from schools for full or partial funding support have increased significantly. In the 2022-2023 school year:
61% (8117) of the total served were from Title I schools.
30% (3992) were fully funded through Adopt-A-Class
94% of AAC were Title I Schools,
6% of schools were supported with Student Aid (Student aid is partial OI financial support in alignment with the percentage of students on free/reduced lunch at a non-Title I school.)
CONTACT
Ocean Institute
24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr
Dana Point, CA 92629-2723
Wendy Leavell
Phone: 9494962274