Providing Innovative After-School Programs

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS) created the Northwest Pasadena Mentoring Center (NPMC) to provide mentoring and tutoring assistance to children in an economically challenged, high-risk area of Pasadena.

The NPMC, sponsored by Jack in the Box Foundation, is a daily after-school program for children ages 6 to 14, primarily from Spanish-speaking homes. The program includes homework assistance in reading, writing and math, provided by volunteer Bigs. Working with the Pasadena Unified School District, parents and the broader community, the goal of NPMC is to help students achieve greater academic and personal success.

Adult, college and high school volunteers provide one-to-one and group tutoring and mentoring on a daily basis, while building caring, trusting relationships with the students. Personal interaction with the students is the hallmark of the program, which offers role modeling and builds self-esteem as well as academic skills.

In addition to the fundamentals of mentoring and homework assistance, the NPMC program also offers its students art and music appreciation classes, hands-on science lessons and projects, other educational subjects and assistance in developing social skills while encouraging drug prevention. Additionally, parents receive parenting instruction, English education classes and referrals to otherwise inaccessible social agencies as needed.

Located in the Villa Parke Community Center at 363 E. Villa Street, Pasadena 91101, the Program Manager can be reached at 626-792-5664 or by email at npmc@catholicbigbrothers.org