Living Classrooms Foundation of the National Capital Region

Living Classrooms Foundation is a non-profit organization that strengthens communities and inspires young people to achieve their potential through hands-on education and job-training, using urban, natural, and maritime resources as “living classrooms.” The organization was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1985 with a philosophy based on the concept that students – especially those in need of extra guidance – placed in small classes in challenging settings respond to real-world applications of academics and the “work world” far more readily than they do in traditional classrooms. Participation in Living Classrooms’ programs has grown from 100 students in a single program in 1985 – building the schooner Lady Maryland – to now over 40,000 students a year enrolled in diverse programs that take place on Living Classrooms campuses in Baltimore and Washington, DC, in schools, in neighborhoods, and aboard ships. Living Classrooms began serving the National Capital Region in 2001, and currently serves over 16,000 children and youth who live in and around the District each year, with a focus on Wards 6, 7, and 8.

 

Living Classrooms offers a distinctive competency in experiential learning – literally learning by direct experience, or what the Foundation calls “learning by doing.” We apply our skill in the following program areas: Hands-on Educational Enrichment Programs and Employability and Employment Training.