Kids Serve To Educate and Promote health Utilizing Peers
Kids STEP UP
We founded Kids STEP UP in June 2020, collaborating with the United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara to deliver health education and promote learning, to children in underserved communities.
Peer tutors from Cate School in Santa Barbara, Redwood High School in Marin County, and St. Stephen’s School of Rome, provide an international network of support in local communities.
For four years, our innovative, project-based educational program has reached more than 2,500 children, addressing their academic needs and promoting optimal physical and mental health.
4th Year Anniversary of Kids STEP UP
What Makes us Special
Students are matched with a peer tutor to catch up and sustain learning through the year. Developing a strong relationship enhances both student and tutor learning.
Peer Tutoring
Health topics, based on human organ systems, are introduced each week with fun, integrated activities.
Health Education
Our computer science program teaches students how to use a simple block program called Scratch.
Computer Science
San Rafael, California
In 2022, we started serving youth in San Rafael’s Canal area. We assess children academically and match them with a trained tutor in the summer, to prepare for kindergarten. We support weekly math games, nutrition education, and sports fitness with mini-golf. Our computer science program uses SCRATCH to teach block-coding in-person and online.
We collaborate with Redwood High School’s service club to add health curriculum and train teenagers to tutor children. We highlight sports health and first aid, with creative computer games.
Our program is built by experts in education, medicine, and technology, to support credible and current information. We make our program accessible online for free, to bridge international learning gaps and promote a healthy future together.
Locations
Santa Barbara, California
We launched our program in the summer of 2020, collaborating with the United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara, offering our unique 100 hour health curriculum with weekly themes of heart, brain, and musculoskeletal systems, led by trained peer tutors. We also focus on number literacy through math games to improve academic math skills and build confidence.
Since then, we expanded the program with a consistent weekly presence during the school year through Cate School service program, in addition to our annual summer programs.
We contine to build on the program, recently introducing a nutrition module to help children eat healthy foods for healthy brains and bodies.
Collaborators
Redwood High School, CA
•
Cate School, CA
•
St. Stephen's School, RM
•
Redwood High School, CA • Cate School, CA • St. Stephen's School, RM •
Redwood High School, CA
In 2024, Katherine Lim (Director of Kids STEP UP San Rafael site) started a Kids STEP UP club at Redwood High School in Larkspur, California. Every week at school, guided by a science teacher and pediatrician, Katherine and peer tutors develop health curricula and work with local collaborators. The goals of the club are to promote nutrition and design first aid kits and videos, on topics like minor injury treatment. The curricula are taught to children in San Rafael public elementary schools and community centers, and placed on social media platforms to increase global access to health education.
Quotes From Students
“Can I have more homework?”
“Can I have more homework?”
“It was like learning, but it was fun learning.”
“It was like learning, but it was fun learning.”
“My brain is happy.”
“My brain is happy.”
