ORANGE COUNTY CHILDRENS THERAPEUTIC ARTS CENTER
2215 N BROADWAY, SANTA ANA, CA 92706 www.occtac.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE ORANGE COUNTY CHILDREN'S THERAPEUTIC ARTS CENTER (OCCTAC) IS A 501C(3) NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION LOCATED IN THE CITY OF SANTA ANA. OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE, ARTISTIC, EDUCATIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMS THAT TRANSFORM AND INSPIRE CHILDREN, AT-RISK YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO FULFILL THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL IN LIFE. OCCTAC SERVED A TOTAL OF 5,898 CHILDREN, YOUTH AND ADULTS IN ORGANGE COUNTY. OUT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS SERVED, 3,008 PARTICIPANTS WERE SERVED AT OUT OUTREACH EVENTS. MORE THAN 90% OF ALL THE FAMILIES SERVED ARE FROM VERY LOW INCOME, AND FROM CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. THE MAJORITY OF THE FAMILIES SERVED ARE FROM THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS ANAHEIM, TUSTIN, ORANGE, FULLERTON, GARDEN GROVE, AND OTHER NEARBY COMMUNITIES.

The Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center (OCCTAC) is a 501c3 non-profit community organization located in the City of Santa Ana. Our mission is to provide innovative, artistic, educational and therapeutic programs that transform and inspire children, at-risk youth and their families to fulfill their highest potential. This year our agency began three new exciting programs for the community! In partnership with the Santa Ana Unified School District, OCCTAC now provides after-school Arts enrichment activities to more than 5,000 elementary and middle schools students in the Santa Ana Unified School District! This is a partnership with the Engage 360 Extended Learning programs at SAUSD. On July 28, 2015 the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a new contract with the OC Childrens Therapeutic Arts Center to provide afterschool enrichment services for the 2015-18 school years. This new and exciting contract will allow us the opportunity to provide Visual Arts instruction for Elementary students, and Theatre instruction for Middle School students during After School hours at the Santa Ana Unified School District. The California Department of Education (CDE) After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program and the 21st Century Learning Centers Grant fund the establishment of local before and after school education and enrichment programs. These programs are created through partnerships between schools and local community resources to provide literacy, academic enrichment, and safe constructive alternatives for students in kindergarten through eighth grades.Another exciting partnership that we started this year is with FACT OC (Families and Childrens Together), and two Family Resource Centers: Corbin and Anaheim Harbor funded by the County of Orange, Social Services. OCCTAC provides Art instruction to children and youth after-school at these family resource centers. The Orange County Childrens Therapeutic Arts Center started a new contract with our MECCA (Multiethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies) and the County of Orange Health Care Agency. OCCTAC and our MECCA partners began training Religious Leaders in the Community about the sign of mental illness, as part of our efforts to reduce the stigma of mental health problems in our society. Also, we conducted a Stigma-Reduction Arts Festival at the MUZEO in Anaheim, CA to celebrate cultural diversity and use this opportunity to educate the community regarding mental health stigma. Over 800 individuals attended our Family Festival and Art exhibition and celebrated the different cultures!OCCTAC continued providing the following 9 community programs during the 2015-16 year: 1) The Early Start and Pre-Kinder Arts Program served about 150 students, including young children and their parents during the 2015-16 fiscal year. This early intervention program aims at teaching very young children 6 months - 5 years of age, and their parents together. This program also helps educate parents, prevents child abuse and screens for children with special needs. Children and parents engage in fun activities together, such as: school readiness activities, music, art, family literacy, play and parenting activities to get young children and their parents ready for school. The program enhances students cognitive, language, motor and social-emotional skills. Furthermore, in partnership with the Santa Ana College, parents were provided with a series of educational classes to prepare them for a state certificate Child Worker Certificate Program. This certificate provides parents with the opportunity to open a child-care business if they desire to do so in the future. The Santa Ana College Child-Care Worker Certificate program is a great opportunity for our community, and a great partner for our organization! 2) The After-School ARTS Program (music/art/dance) served over 1,500 students (4 18 yrs. of age) during the fiscal year 2015-16 fiscal year. All students served learned new artistic skills or developed higher levels of artistic skills and knowledge in the fields of Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Technology. Besides learning artistic skills, our program aimed at empowering youth by enhancing their level of self-esteem, confidence and diverting them from negative social problems. This year in partnership with the City of Santa Ana and Community Development grant funds, OCCTAC was able to provide 100 scholarships for youth to learn Classical Music and how to play a string (Violin or Viola), and/or a Woodwinds Instrument (Flute, Clarinet or Saxophone). All music students expanded their basic skills in music theory, ear training and rhythm. Furthermore, we continued our great partnership with Chamber Music OC, who provided music appreciation and history workshops to our music students throughout the year, and performed for our students as part of their Outreach and Community efforts!3) The Therapeutic Arts Program served approximately 200 students, children and youth of all ages and disabilities, such as: autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, health impairments, learning disabilities and other special needs. A variety of therapeutic arts classes were provided to our special needs students, such as: music, art and dance therapies. This program aimed at providing artistic access and therapeutic outcomes to help improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities, and transform their lives through the Arts!4) The After-School Tutoring(and Homework Support) Program served approximately 100 students throughout the year with academic problems and/or delays, in partnership with college volunteers from a variety of local colleges, such as Santa Ana College, Cal State University, Fullerton, Chapman University, University of California, Irvine, and others. Students with and without special needs were served in this program. In addition to college volunteers, our transitional age youth (WIA youth interns), also learned to mentor younger children and the basics of tutoring. WIA students were also trained to implement an integrated Art & Literacy curriculum/ lesson plans aimed at helping our students improve their academics, by providing the necessary support via one on one tutoring or small group instruction. The Learning Academy was a great learning opportunity for both mentors and mentees!5) The Youth Employment Program served a total of 40 transitional age youth (16 21 yrs of age) during the 2015-16 fiscal year: 20 were follow-ups from last year, and 20 were new students! In partnership with the City of Santa Ana, OCCTAC provided youth with necessary tools to successfully transition into the workforce, further their education, and reach their true work potential by providing them with academic counseling, case management, tutoring and PAID Work Training. Students also had the opportunity to gain work experience in the fields of Arts, Education and Technology. This amazing program focused primarily on helping transitional age youth who had dropped out of school, had no career goals or educational aspirations. All students were guided to higher education, career paths and jobs in their areas of interest. Also, WIA students earned their high school diploma, received state certificates, and entered into college! The overall student outcomes/impact of the program were fantastic: 100% of all students increased Literacy/Numeracy skills; 93% of all students served entered Employment or Post-Secondary; and 100% of all students served attained a Credential/ Diploma/ Certificate.6) The Wraparound Tutoring and After School Program, is a program funded by the County of Orange, Social Services, and provided tutoring and after school arts programming to approximately 50 children and youth identified by the county as wraparound families, foster kids, students with emotional and/or behavioral challenges and in need of counseling, mentoring, education and support services. Our program aimed at helping youth improve their academic and social skills to improve their overall success in school and in life. All students increased their academic skills by receiving individual tutoring, and were also provided with the opportunity to participate in our after school arts programs and support services.7) The Family Wellness Community program served approximately 50 participants throughout the year on a weekly basis. This program was funded by the County of Orange, Health Care Agency through our collaborative partner MECCA (Multiethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies). The program aimed at preventing the development of mental health conditions through community awareness, educational and life skills classes, case management, referrals and linkages, and a variety of culturally appropriate support services and wellness programs. OCCTAC staff provided a variety of wellness classes and support groups to prevent the onset of mental illness. Some of those include the following classes: Love yourself, Cake Bas

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