About School on Wheels

Location:

303 N Ventura Ave, Suite D, Ventura, CA 93001, US

Mission Statement

The mission of School on Wheels is to enhance educational opportunities for children experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest level of education possible. Our program serves as a consistent support system to these students at a time of great stress and fear. We bring the message to our students that they are cared about and important.

Description

School on Wheels, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 by Agnes Stevens, a retired teacher. After reading Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and her Children, Agnes realized the extent of homelessness in the USA. She began tutoring kids without homes in a park in Santa Monica, encouraging them to stay in school and participate in school activities.

Today, hundreds of volunteers work one-on-one with children whose homelessness prevents them from receiving academic stability and help they desperately need. The heart of the School on Wheels program is the volunteer tutors who come from all backgrounds and professions, with a shared goal - to reach out to a child, to teach, to mentor, and assist in their educational life. They are the "wheels" of our program, reducing barriers to a fulfilling education by traveling to our students in shelters, libraries and schools across Southern California.

School on Wheels makes a difference in the lives of children without homes by offering:

• One-on-one weekly tutoring with a volunteer
• Backpacks and school supplies
• Assistance and support in entering school
• Learning Center located in the heart of Skid Row, Downtown Los Angeles
• Tutoring in six major regions in Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.