SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- THINK Together, California's largest non-profit provider of after-school and other academically focused learning programs, has received a generous $250,000 grant from Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of Edison International, intended to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.

"Thanks to the generosity of Southern California Edison, we'll now have Academy of Robotics Labs available to students at all of THINK Together's middle school sites across Southern California," announced Randy Barth, Founder and CEO of THINK Together.

"We're committed to supporting programs that can inspire children and ignite their imagination and curiosity. Developing science, math and technology skills will provide these youngsters with boundless opportunities," said Veronica Gutierrez, SCE's vice president, Corporate Communications.

"The focus of after-school programs is no longer simply fun and games - when aligned with a child's school day, after-school programs can extend a student's annual learning time by up to 50%," Barth explains.

"The Academy or Robotics Labs will dramatically enhance our existing STEM education curriculum and provide additional hands-on enrichment activities that promote active minds and positive skills development for our Middle School students. And exposure to the Robotics Lab will no doubt put some students on a path to STEM careers."

THINK Together is implementing the Academy of Robotics (AOR) program by PCS Edventures at its 41 middle school sites throughout Southern California during the 2009-10 academic year. THINK Together serves more than serving more than 15,700 students at those sites.

The AOR program provides a complete installation of a mobile robotics laboratory specifically designed to teach students scientific and mathematical concepts through robotics and applied technology. As part of the curriculum, students engage in scientific endeavors that include designing in a Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) program, building walking machines and conducting programming experiments. Through the AOR curriculum, students also develop workplace skills including teamwork, cooperative learning, problem solving, critical thinking, analysis and logical development. Implementation of the AOR program is intended to help these students excel in mathematics, science and engineering as well as prepare them for a potential career working with technology.

A January 2008 report by the Washington D.C. based Afterschool Alliance notes, "The 21st century's information economy is creating more jobs that require not only a college education but also at least some expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, collectively known as STEM. In order to stay competitive in the global marketplace and provide our children with the best chance to succeed in life, we must get more students on the STEM path."

A report published by the Coalition for Science After School, based at the University of California, Berkley, concluded: "After-school settings are optimal for providing engaging, hands-on STEM experiences, enabling students to apply, reinforce, and extend skills and concepts taught in school. And they are particularly conducive to project-based activities where a wide variety of children can participate in the design, construction, investigation, sense-making and communication of science projects."

About THINK Together

THINK Together is a non-profit Community Based Organization (CBO) providing after-school and other out-of-school time learning programs for Southern California students. THINK Together serves 50,000 students at 200+ sites across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. THINK is an acronym: Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids. For more information, visit THINKtogether.org.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities in California, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California. For more information, visit Edison.com.

SOURCE THINK Together

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http://www.THINKtogether.org
http://www.Edison.com/