Our Programs

We think ahead

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO) Summer Career Ready Early Scholars Program

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO) is a community-based organization designed to provide a host of academically sound, project-based enrichment programs to the District of Columbia elementary, middle and high school youth. Founded in 2021 by Carletta Fellows, a dedicated educator who believes that children’s education is a matter of civil rights, with an overarching mission to create brighter futures by enriching the minds of America’s youth by providing opportunity, access, and exposure beyond the school walls.

The ETO-Career Early Scholars Program for grades 4 – 8 is based on STEM and project-based learning, focusing on infrastructure, utility and construction, that incorporate entrepreneurship, social emotional growth and development and financial literacy opportunities within the context of each program. ETO is partnering with  organizations to deliver content in these critical areas. The partners were identified because of their commitment to ensuring youth from under-resourced families have access to quality programming that ensures equitable access to future economic opportunities.

ETO CRESP PARTNERS

ETO CRESP– Bikes and Technology

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO) in partnership with DC Bike Academy, has collaborated to establish a bikes and technology program for children and youth in the District of Columbia. The Bikes and Technology Program will provide students with the skills to work as professional bicycle technician/mechanics that can lead to a multitude of cycling industry careers including entrepreneurship, engineering, fabrication, marketing, filmmaking, graphic art, sales, and transportation policy and advocacy.

Bike Tech Engineering – Identifying bicycle functions and operations. Repairing and/or Replacing parts to improve the cycling experience by:

  • Understanding workshop safety
  • Review and Identify tools for bike maintenance
  • Build and Assemble Bikes
  • Conducting Pre-ride inspections
  • Perform Chain maintenance and replacement
  • Inspect tires, selection, and replacement
  • Wheels: Maintenance, Repair, and Installation
  • Repair and Maintenance of Pedals
  • Selection, Maintenance, and Repair of Saddles and Seat-posts
  • Wheel building
  • Understanding Spoke Patterns
  • Selecting bikes based on weight considerations
  • Maintenance and Repair of Forks
  • Selecting, Inspecting, Maintaining and Repairing frames
  • Maintaining, Repairing and Replacing Cable-Actuated Shifting and Electronic Systems

Bike Safety Program – Each participant will receive a bike that they repaired. Students will test bike functions. Student participants will learn how to ride with traffic flow, ride on the right in the same direction as other vehicles, obey all traffic laws, yield to traffic when appropriate, be predictable, always stay alert, look before turning, watch for parked cars, and use hand signals.

Website: www.dcbikeacademy.org

ETO CRESP Green Technology/Entrepreneurship-Block Chain and Financial Literacy Program

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO in partnership with Today’s Promise Foundation, a community-based organization dedicated to ensuring children from under resourced communities have access to host of academic enrichment program designed to ensure elementary and middle school youth have access to expeditionary learning experiences focused on Green Careers, infrastructure and entrepreneurship opportunities in a global economy.  The program exposes participants to non-traditional careers and ensures that they have access to quality academic support to ensure post-secondary learning in the sciences.

  • ENGAGE: Student (explorers) navigate their learning through the Green Experience curriculum that focuses on the real-world, relevant and rigorous learning of academic standards and the development of interpersonal skills.
  • EXPLORE: Students will receive instruction and guidance to successfully
    complete their project-based learning from TPF’s Green Team of Science Instructors.
  • INNOVATE: Students complete a Green-focused app using MIT Scratch program.

Website https://todayspromisefoundation.org.

ETO CRESP Career Readiness Program

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO) in partnership with University of the District of Columbia, Workforce Development Lifelong Learning Career Services Division (UDC-WDLL) have collaborated to establish a workforce preparedness and career development training for youth in grades 7-12. UDC-WDLL will administer the longest standing evidence-based Strong Interest Inventory Assessment (SII) to support participants’ development of an occupational self-concept.

A key component of the SII allows individuals to identify their work personality by exploring their primary motivations to work across the following six broad categories: realistic, artistic, investigative, social enterprising, and conventional.

The mission of the UDC Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning (WDLL) is to reduce unemployment and underemployment in the District of Columbia by enhancing the skills of its residents. The program provides no-cost industry-recognized certification training to District residents aimed at helping them earn jobs, get promoted, and train for careers within in-demand industries, fields, and occupations in and around the DC region.

Website: https://www.udc.edu/workforce-development/

ETO CRESP Social Emotional Growth and Development

Excellence Through Opportunity (ETO) in partnership with Lucidity Communication Consultants has collaborated to provide CRESP participants with the following key services:

1. Interpersonal Communication and SEL for Adolescents:

  • Emotional Intelligence and Self-Regulation: Support students in developing emotional awareness and regulation strategies, enabling them to manage impulses, reduce social anxiety, and improve their overall peer interactions.
  • Self-Advocacy and Communication Skills: Equip students with the tools to articulate their needs and boundaries, fostering assertiveness and self-confidence, particularly in challenging social or academic scenarios.
  • Group Workshops: Conduct workshops aimed at fostering teamwork, social confidence, and leadership skills among students, with emphasis on inclusive activities that support those with ADHD, ASD, or learning disabilities.

2. Leadership Coaching for Educators and Program Leaders:

  • Inclusive Communication Strategies: Deliver customized training sessions for program staff and partners on how to communicate effectively with students who have ADHD, Autism, and learning disabilities. These sessions emphasized understanding different communication styles, supporting emotional needs, and creating adaptive learning environments.
  • Behavioral and Emotional Support: Provide leadership training on implementing emotional regulation and behavioral management strategies, promoting an inclusive atmosphere where students feel understood and supported.
  • Collaboration with Special Education Teams: Work directly with program staff and partners to integrate SEL and communication strategies into Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), fostering a cohesive approach to supporting student development.

3. Family Engagement and Collaborative Support:

  • Partner with families to ensure SEL strategies and communication skills are reinforced at home, providing consistency across environments. Additionally, parents will be coached on advocating for their child’s unique learning and emotional needs in school settings.

Website: www.lucidityspeaks.net