STAR Education is a 501(c)3 non-profit providing educational services to more than 60 school districts throughout California for over 30 years.
WHO WE ARE
STAR Education is a charitable 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been selected as the leader in innovative educational programming and community-based cultural enrichment projects for over 30 years. STAR services more than 500 schools in over 60 school districts, reaching over a million students and their families every year. STAR works with students, families, schools, and communities to provide exceptional educational and cultural enrichment opportunities.
MISSION STATEMENT
STAR Education’s mission is to offer extended educational, recreational, and enrichment programs to students; support and enhance school curriculum; improve student achievement; and expand the cultural base of young people through innovative, quality programs offered by highly qualified instructors.
HISTORY
STAR Education began its work in the 1980s when greatly diminished resources for California public schools and latchkey children emerged as two major challenges to child welfare. In 1986, husband and wife team Katya and Erick Bozzi Sr. activated parents, professionals in partnership with the 10th District PTA in their West LA community to address the critical need for safe, high-quality educational and enrichment opportunities for children.
Together, they mobilized alternative and innovative resources to enhance youth education and development, bolster the struggling public school in their community, and provide a safe and supportive environment for children after school. STAR recognized the need to gather community partners, universities, and local leaders to rally around their public schools to bring new resources to help schools and school districts realize their educational goals. In 1993, STAR Education was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
In 1997, Erick, Sr. and Katya Bozzi, and their children, Erick II and Katiana, founded the STAR Eco Station as a subsidiary of STAR Education in partnership with US Fish and Wildlife. The STAR Eco Station is an environmental science museum and exotic wildlife rescue facility in Culver City, Calif., where visitors have an opportunity to learn how they can be involved in the preservation of the planet and have the chance to interact with rescued endangered and exotic wildlife.
What began over 25 years ago with two innovative parents, a handful of outstanding professionals from the community, and one elementary school in West Los Angeles has been cultivated into a large-scale effort including over 1000 highly-skilled employees, as well as partnerships with government agencies, private organizations, parents and community groups. STAR's programs support and enhance school-day curriculum and broaden the amenities that schools offer their communities, reinforcing the public school site as both the community focal point and as a center for state of the art learning.
Today, STAR benefits over a million learners throughout California. Each day, STAR comes to school campuses in over 60 school districts throughout California, Tennessee, and New York to connect students to the lessons and the resources they need to become lifelong learners. Through the years, STAR has enabled and inspired students to attend major universities, choose exciting career paths, and do meaningful work throughout the world.
Board of Directors
President - Executive Director Founder - Katya Bozzi
Vice President - Co-Founder
Erick Bozzi II
Secretary - Co-Founder
Katiana Bozzi
Vice President - Stephen Nemeth
Board Member - Amanda Levy
Board Member - Arlene Klasky
Board Member - Kourosh Bakhtiar