Mission

Our mission is to Inspire Enthusiasm for Science and a Love of Learning in Pre-K through 6th-grade students in Santa Clara County, CA. We teach inquiry-based, life, physical, earth, and social science to nearly 30,000 children per year. Since our founding in 1953, we have taught hundreds of thousands of children. Our two youth programs are School & Group Programs and Summer Science Camps. We are committed to ensuring these programs are available to low-income, academically at-risk, and underserved populations. We also offer family Science Safaris (weekend and evening programs). YSI maintains 3 park-based Science & Nature Centers (San Jose, Saratoga, and Los Gatos). Each Center has specialized and unique artifacts, collections, and resources that connect children with nature while teaching science. Our programs are founded on the best practices of both hands-on science and experiential environmental education, and are correlated to the science content standards for CA public schools.