An after-school tutoring program offered through University of the Pacific’s Jacoby Center for Public Service and Civic Leadership has secured a $3.6 million grant from Stockton Unified School District. 

The funding will allow the program to continue providing K-12 students with a safe and supportive after-school environment where they can participate in tutoring, academic and physical activities and receive social and emotional support. 

“The after-school tutoring program benefits hundreds of Stockton children every year,” said Dean of the College of the Pacific Lee Skinner. “I’m so pleased that Stockton Unified School District has recognized the program’s impact in improving educational outcomes for K-12 students with continued funding.

“This program truly exemplifies Pacific’s commitment to community engagement and experience-driven education for our own students, who learn by doing through their work with these children,” she said. 

The program runs until 6 p.m. and is offered throughout the school year and during select school breaks. 

Director of After School and Enrichment Programs at the Jacoby Center Arianna Yepez has successfully led the program at Pacific for more than 20 years, including expanding it to more school sites in recent years. 

“Our goal is to build lifelong learners, promote personal development and foster a sense of community,” Yepez said. 

The partnership creates valuable professional opportunities for Pacific students. Through the grant, the university employs federal work study students, providing them with hands-on experience working directly with K–12 students. The experience helps Pacific students develop leadership, communication and problem-solving skills while supervising activities, managing schedules and creating positive learning environments for children of varying ages.

“By hiring Pacific students, we also have an opportunity to build pipelines that recruit future Tigers.  What I personally like about this partnership is that Pacific students are applying what they learn in the classroom into practice,” Yepez said. 

The Jacoby Center connects Pacific’s campuses with their surrounding communities through partnerships, civic engagement and public service opportunities that encourage students and faculty to apply academic learning to real-world challenges.

“This investment reflects what is possible when a university and school district work together with a shared commitment to young people,” said Mario Enriquez, director of experiential learning and research at the Jacoby Center. “Through the Jacoby Center, we are not only supporting K–12 students academically and emotionally, but also preparing Pacific students to become future educators, public servants and community leaders through hands-on experience.”

Established in 2000, the center is named for former sociology professor and College of the Pacific Dean Harold S. Jacoby and is located in the Wendell Phillips Center on Pacific’s Stockton Campus.