Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center
Making a difference for life...Catch the Vision!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The United Way Common Good Forecaster states that academic success is a vital part of achieving economic stability and a key factor that keeps youth from being drawn into the kind of behavior that led to the death of Al Wooten. Unfortunately, many schools in our area struggle to help students succeed. At Manhattan Place Elementary School, for instance, only 25% of students in English Language Arts and 24% of students in math met or exceeded state standards in 2016-17. Both rank below the 40% and 30% in Los Angeles Unified School District, and 48% and 37% statewide, respectively. The Wooten Center is located in Gramercy Park where some 15% of residents 25 and older have a four-year degree or higher. Gramercy Park has the sixth highest rate of violent crime in Los Angeles. Neighboring Westmont has had the highest since 2000. We've seen it first hand at the center with stray bullets striking our building on two occasions in recent years.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
CollegeTrek Afterschool Program
College preparation should not wait for high school. CollegeTrek starts at grade 3 in preparing students to adopt the skills needed to complete their journey to higher education. Our reading, writing, math and science labs and our poetry, world languages, field trips, sports and other activities are based on the A-G requirements needed at many institutions for high school graduation and college enrollment.
Instruction is also based on California state content standards for grade level achievement. Students are encouraged to perform above grade level and to explore advanced studies in science and other disciplines.
Academic instruction comprises the majority of our activities, with a minimum three hours of homework and tutoring available daily from 2-5pm, followed by sports and recreation from 5-6pm. Students receive quarterly assessments, monthly monitoring and daily tutoring (Mon-Fri, 2-6pm) in language arts and math. We use the same i-Ready.com tool that LA Unified School District uses for adaptive (online tutoring adjusts based on needs) and blended learning (more than one method—online and small study groups up to five students). Based on the Common Core, i-Ready provides study plans to guide individual online instruction and assigns the groups based on test results.
In addition, all students in grades 3-12 complete a College Plan outlining their plans for higher education. College Days are held on the first Friday to introduce our kids to college life and career choices. Plans are underway to expand our CollegeTrack program to be held at the center for students starting at grade 9.
All afterschool teachers are either college graduates or students. Interns from schools including USC, Pepperdine and Los Angeles Community College also volunteer to provide additional support and mentors for our students.
Other services include transportation, which is available from several public school campuses in South Los Angeles and Inglewood. Students engage in financial literacy through the Wooten Bank, which teaches how to save and write checks using their Wooten Dollars earned for participation in class
MyCollegeTrek
MyCollegeTrek activities are for teens only. They include SAT-prep workshops, college tours and scholarships, teen helper internships. Teen Job Shop. Teen Talk discussion group, and more.
Summer Fun Camp
Summer Fun Camp is a 6-week, full-day program providing academic enrichment and recreational activities for some 60 students in grades 3-9. High school students serve as volunteer or paid teen helpers.
Summer Fun Camp has a central STEM theme. 2018 featured "Zoology: Animals in the Sky, On the Ground, Under the Sea."
Students watched Animal Planet's "The Vet Life" and had weekly guest animals and mentors, and field trips to museums, zoos and aquariums. They engaged in performing and visual arts and took weekly swim lessons at Ketchum YMCA.
Students worked with architectural firm owner and interior designer Rick Shlemmer, principal at SAA interiors and architecture, in creating a design concept for our planned building renovation.
Summer STEM themes in previous years included coding, robotics, computer animation and aerospace engineering.
Where we work
Awards
Presidential Citizens Award, our nation's second highest civilian honor presented to our founder, Myrtle Faye Rumph 2010
President Barack Obama/White House
Service Enterprise Certification 2014
Points of Light Foundation
United Way of Greater Los Angeles Power of Her Award -- executive director Naomi McSwain 2018
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Catalyst Award (1 of 3 finalists) -- board chair Paul Wetmore 2018
Invest in Others Foundation
Affiliations & memberships
California School-Age Consortium certified trainer (ex and assoc directors) 2018
Southern California College Access Network 2018
Fundraising Academy for Communities of Color alum (ex dir) 2018
Grantmanship Center's Project Grantmanship alum (ex dir) 2018
LA County Public Health Trauma Prevention Initiative -- Community Action for Peace committee member 2018
Community Response System of South Los Angeles education committee co-chair (ex dir) 2020
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of students showing improvement in test scores
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth
Related Program
CollegeTrek Afterschool Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These are % of students who increased their math scores. Our outcome is 80%. 2019-20 is 0 because we could not take post-tests after going online. 2020-21 numbers will be ready in June '21.
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our board members give or get annually, particularly as sponsors for our annual awards dinner and golf tournament.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Enrollment shown is estimated unduplicated students enrolled in our three programs: CollegeTrek Afterschool Program, Summer Fun Camp, MyCollegeTrek for teens only
Number of students receiving homework help
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
CollegeTrek Afterschool Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Numbers shown are the % of students enrolled in our afterschool program who completed homework or studies daily. Our outcome is 80%.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goals are to help students achieve grade-level proficiency and promotion, high school graduation, and college access and success. Our objectives include:
1. Provide homework assistance and tutoring to help students achieve all goals
2. Promote college access and success through tutoring, SAT-prep, mentors, internships, extracurricular activities, field trips, college advisement, tours and scholarships, and project-based labs promoting the four college readiness skills: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creative expression
3. Expose students to the A-G requirements through college plans, College and Career Day, and STEM, performing and visual arts and other college-prep activities
4. Provide life skills and leadership development through discussion groups, community service, civic engagement, sports and recreation, and cooking and other classes
5. Promote socio-emotional development through behavior intervention, and youth and family counseling
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At their 2018 retreat, our board of directors identified the following six strategies for success:
1. Licensing/E Occupancy: Renovate our buildings to obtain an E occupancy and child care center license for quality facilities and standards.
2. Human Capital: Increase staff and volunteer development and pursue partnerships to improve program quality and defray costs.
3. Financial Position: Establish a brokerage account, endowment and other long-term solutions.
4. Program Effectiveness: Explore new and innovative options for homework completion, assessment score increases, school promotion and graduation, SAT-prep and college enrollment.
5. 5. Personal Safety: Build relationships with first responders and other civic and community agencies, install cameras and other physical security, conduct first aid and CPR training.
6. Risk Management: Establish a disaster plan, including readiness to serve as a temporary relief site.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Wooten Center has 17 board members -- more than half financial advisors, corporate executives or college professors providing fiscal oversight, financial gifts and/or program support.
Our board chair Paul Wetmore is managing director of investments at Merrill Lynch. He has a BA in psychology from Dartmouth and a Certified Investment Management Analyst certification from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania. Invest in Others selected Paul as 1 of 3 finalists for their 2018 Catalyst Award for financial advisors involved in community service.
Naomi McSwain was executive director our first 4 years, returning in 2010 after working as a reporter wanting to provide solutions for gang violence. She has a BA in journalism/marketing from CSUN and an MA in intercultural studies/children at risk from Fuller Seminary. United Way of Greater LA selected Naomi as recipient of their first Power of Her Award in 2018. She is one of 7 staff members, all of whom are college students or graduates.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
See numbers in parentheses for our outcomes results for 2016-17:
1. 80% of students will complete homework and/or studies by June (82%)
2. 80% of students tested will increase their scores in math (80%) and reading (84%) by June
3. 10% of students will attain grade level proficiency in math (15%) and reading (7%) by June
4. 80% of onsite students will be promoted to their next grade level and/or graduate high school by June (100%, 21 youth)
5. 80% of onsite high school seniors will enroll in college by June (100%, 3 youth)
6. 80% of SAT workshop participants surveyed will be satisfied (101) or very satisfied (106) with the instruction (95%)
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Challenging getting 100% participation
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center
Board of directorsas of 10/15/2022
Mr. Paul Wetmore
Merrill Lynch
John G Lapham
PineBridge Investments
Christopher "Kit" Jennings
Liquid Venture Partners
Scott Miller, Ph.D.
University of Tampa
Paul Wetmore
Merrill Lynch
Connie James, Ph.D.
Pepperdine University
Leighton A. Carter
Biashara, Inc.
Brian Condon
Arnold & Porter LLP
Keith S. Parker
UCLA Government & Community Relations (ret.)
Camille Richardson
Kinecta Federal Credit Union
Dashan Nettles
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Laurie Inman, Ed.D.
CSU Dominguez Hills
Kathy Talley-Jones
independent writer and planner
Brett C.S. Roberts
Parking/Traffic Commissioner-City of Inglewood; Metro Community Relations
Robert Clark
FBI (ret.)
Amy Johnson
Pepperdine University
Leslie Fishburn
HKS Architects
Saeri Dobson, Ed.D.
Loyola Marymount University
Lotte de Silva
Trojan League of South Bay, USC
Rocio Flores
USC Credit Union
Carina Castellanos
Lennox Library
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/16/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.