An Integrated Approach

Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor, previously known as Saint Joseph Ballet, is a nonprofit organization that offers hope and opportunity to low-income youth in Orange County, California.  Through highly professional dance training, integrated with academic support, enrichment experiences and family services, The Wooden Floor increases the impact that any one of these programs or services might have on its own.  Youth who participate in The Wooden Floor take the skills learned through dance – self-confidence, discipline, and a sense of accomplishment – and transfer them to other areas of their lives.  Students at The Wooden Floor gain the tools they need to create a bright future and break the cycle of poverty for generations to come.

“The arts can help “level the playing field” for youth from disadvantaged circumstances, and learning in the arts has significant effects on learning in other domains.  Student achievement is heightened in an environment with high quality arts education offerings and a school climate supportive of active and productive learning.” Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning

Integrated programs and services support students’ growth and development.  Each year The Wooden Floor:

Through Dance…

§          Provides approximately 50 dance classes each week for nearly 400 students

§          Produces a professional quality performing experience for its students through the Annual Concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre and through performances in its own Studio Theatre

§          Works with top-rated professional artists and instructors

§          Reaches nearly 3,000 young people through DanceFree Weeks, a week-long Community Outreach Program

Through Academic Programs…

§          Provides approximately 2,500 hours of academic tutoring to more than 200 students

§          Helps 150 students prepare for the college application process

§          Provides mentoring and college scholarship awards to alumni at The Wooden Floor enrolled in college

Through Student and Family Services…

§          Helps families of The Wooden Floor access counseling and community resources

§          Provides one-on-one counseling for a number of youth at The Wooden Floor

§          Offers workshops to more than 500 parents on topics such as nutrition, parenting and financial management