Why Choose Us?
What’s so Big about Big Learning?
Big Dreams: Our highly-engaging and educational Big Learning enrichment programs are designed to propel children toward the best of life in the 21st century. Our programs supply vital tools children need to achieve their dreams: facility with global languages, global cultures, science, technology, and design, as well as skills for innovation such as collaboration, problem solving, and creativity. Most importantly, our programs nurture children’s curious, inquisitive natures to build tomorrow’s critical thinkers and engaged citizens.
Big Content: We are fun, adventurous and curious, but we are also serious about jam-packing our programs with intriguing, conceptually-powerful learning.
- Our young scientists learn fundamental science concepts in biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science. During our content-rich, hands-on activities, children learn to think and talk like scientists. Every activity is keyed to our Science POWER Framework, which describes ways scientists learn about the world: Play, Observation, Working with Models, Experimentation, Reflection/data analysis.
- Our Engineering Programs use our Knowledge-Infused Design Framework, in which school-relevant background knowledge is naturally infused into creative design-and-build tasks. Children learn to pull together knowledge and skills from across the curriculum and throughout the real world, and supercharge them with creative problem solving skills to create something utterly unique. Art and science converge, as children learn to communicate through design and think simultaneously about function and form.
- Our Foreign Language Programs in French, Spanish and Chinese use a developmentally-appropriate Immersion Model to teach a four-level sequential curriculum. Children absorb their new language through games, songs, and stories. The native speakers who teach our classes serve as cultural ambassadors from their birthplaces, offering children a warm and inviting introduction other cultures.
Big Meaning: Learning should be relevant, powerful, copious, and personally meaningful. Big Learning programs teach children that new knowledge and skills empower them to create, communicate, and serve. Our young scientists use their Science Powers to ask and answer their own questions about the natural and physical world. Our engineers design and build things to solve real-world problems, bring pleasure to those around them, or realize their creative visions. Our language learners use language to communicate and bring their imaginations to life in another language.
Big Reach: We offer Big Learning programs at about 70 Montgomery County sites to about 2,500 students annually. We offer tuition assistance to children who otherwise would not be able to join our classes. To better serve low-income students we work with partners, including the Montgomery County Collaboration Council, the Montgomery County Recreation Department, and the Maryland State Department of Education, offering grant-funded programs tailored to the needs of low-income students.