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Fun, interactive robotics camp for students entering 3rd - 6th grades. Robotics Camp Register Now! 2024 Robotics Camp Recap Video Noggin's programs are income-based, and we seek to serve students who would not usually have access to academic programs and camps. Limited space will be available for students who DO NOT qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, and registration will open on June 1st for paying parents. The camp fee is $100 per student. Contact us at coordinator@nogginfoundation.org or call 972-200-3534 to be added to a waiting list if you do not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. In Summer 2025, Noggin’s Robotics Camp will feature the Sphero BOLT—an interactive, app-enabled robot designed to spark creativity and critical thinking. Students will learn to program their BOLT using block-based coding and explore real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and math. The Sphero BOLT helps campers build essential 21st-century skills while having serious fun. 🔗 Learn more about Sphero BOLT 📽️ Watch Sphero BOLT in action And back by popular demand is our Shark Tank Jr. competition!

Join us for Noggin's inaugural golf tournament at Hackberry Creek Country Club in Las Colinas on September 8, 2025. Menu Close - Home - About Us About Us Core Beliefs and Values Board of Directors Advisory Council Our Mission Our Vision & Mission Our Why Our Impact Our Programs Overview FREE Tutoring S.P.A.R.K ARD Advocacy Robotics Camp STEM Strong Sisters Special Education Information School Dazed Podcast Career Chats Our Products Overview Smart Goals and Growth Mindset Kit Visual Schedule Merch! Ways to Give Overview Recurring Donations Donate Now! 8 Ways to Give Join the Movement #boughtabackpack North Texas Giving Day Corporate Partnership Contact Us Join Our Team General Opportunities Noggin News Upcoming Events Golf Tournament Benefiting Noggin Educational Foundation, whose mission is to help close the achievement gap for low-income children by providing educational opportunities for students and support for their families. Charity Golf Classic Registration is open! September 8, 2025 Hackberry Creek Country Club 1901 W. Royal Lane, Irving, TX Add to calendar iCal Google ID 34501227 | Golf © Mikael Damkier | Dreamstime.com Register Sponsor Join the fun and make a difference! September 8th, 2025 , join us for a day of golf, fun, and impact at Noggin's inaugural Charity Golf Classic, celebrating 10 years of service to our community! This exciting tournament brings together passionate players, generous sponsors, and community supporters to make a difference for students from low-income families. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just love the game, your participation helps provide free educational resources and services to students in need. Enjoy a beautiful day at the Hackberry Creek Country Club , great company, and the opportunity to support a cause that transforms lives. Sign up today as a player, sponsor, or donor and be a part of something truly special! Event Schedule September 8, 2025 Hackberry Creek Country Club 1901 W Royal Ln, Irving, TX 75063 7:00 am - Registration starts, practice facilities open 9:00 am - Shotgun start 2:00 pm - Finish round, return to Craft 11, bar open, lunch served, awards 6:00 pm - Event end Event Coordinator Doneda Bailey doneda@nogginfoundation.org FAQs How much does it cost to participate? The registration fee is $150 per player, which includes green fees and cart rental. Can I register as an individual? Yes! If you're signing up as an individual, we'll pair you with other participants to form a team. Are there sponsorship opportunities ? Yes! We offer a variety of sponsorship levels. For more information, please visit Phil Jackson at phil@nogginfoundation.org or call 817-680-4650. What should I bring to the tournament? Please bring your golf clubs, comfortable attire, and appropriate shoes for the course. We also recommend bringing sunscreen, a hat, and water. Will food and drinks be provided? Yes, we will have lunch, snacks, and drinks available for participants. Is there a dress code for the tournament? Yes, the golf course requires players to wear appropriate golf attire. Collared shirts, golf pants or shorts, and golf shoes are recommended. Are spectators allowed? Yes, spectators are welcome to attend the event for an entry fee of $75. What happens if it rains? In the case of inclement weather, we will notify participants of any cancellations or rescheduling. Did You Know? 2 years By the end of fourth grade, low-income students are already 4to5 months of academic gains Studies show that high-quality after school, summer learning, and tutoring programs are associated with behind grade level View our 2024 Annual Report Don't miss out! Stay informed with news and updates. Subscribe Now

At Noggin we believe that ALL students deserve a shot at a bright future. We are closing the achievement gap by providing tutoring, fun summer enrichment programs, and resources for parents. 1/13 Our mission is to help close the achievement gap for economically disadvantaged children by improving educational opportunities for students, supporting families, and encouraging excellence and innovation in the classroom. Learn More PRIVATE TUTORING Students meet for private tutoring sessions with an experienced classroom teacher to bridge gaps in learning. Next STEM CAMPS Our STEM camps provide a strong introduction to the world of Robotics and teach students to create digital stories, games, and animations through computer coding. Next SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY Advocates provide parental support to assist in obtaining services and accommodations at school. Next CAREERS EXPOSURE Professionals from a variety of careers speak to groups of students about their work, education, and background followed by interactive Q&A sessions. Next SUMMER ENRICHMENT Summers Producing Academically Ready Kids (S.P.A.R.K.) provides fun, interactive math & reading enrichment activities and games all summer to reduce or prevent summer learning loss. Next OUR APPROACH At Noggin, we have adopted a multi-pronged approach to closing the achievement gap. Students enrolled with Noggin have access to multiple programs to help close gaps in learning and give them the knowledge and skills to thrive in college and in their careers. After a multi-year investment, each Noggin Kid will have a diverse range of opportunities aligned with their aspirations following high school graduation. Join us in supporting our amazing students because every child deserves a shot at a bright future! Multi-Pronged Approach Average Annual Impact 1000 Students Impacted 400 Backpacks Distributed 400 Hours Tutored View our 2024 Annual Report Noggin's math and reading instruction and tutoring is provided exclusively by experienced classroom teachers. Significant learning gaps have been caused by the Pandemic and the teacher shortage. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a majority of states saw scores decline for fourth- and eighth-graders in mathematics and reading between 2019 and 2022. Reading and math proficiency is the lowest it has been in decades. A study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that four of every five students who come from low-income households don’t meet reading proficiency requirements. At Noggin, we exclusively utilize experienced classroom teachers to provide math and reading instruction as they are uniquely equipped to bridge learning gaps. Studies show that high-quality afterschool, summer learning, and tutoring programs are associated with 4-5 months of academic gains and positive impact on behavior and attendance. National Bureau of Economic Research July 2020 Don't miss out! Stay informed with news and updates. Subscribe Now Every Child Deserves A Shot At A Bright Future! Partner With Us! 8 Ways to Give Volunteer Donate Now By the end of 4th grade low-income students are already two years behind grade level.

S.P.A.R.K. 2020 We started 2020 like any other year. We had already reached out to our summer program partner, and as expected, they were eager to continue. In fact, we were ahead of schedule. Most years, it takes until mid- summer to reset and prepare all the SPARK activities, but I had hired someone to take the lead . B y the end of April, everything was ready. We were proud and excited. At that point, COVID still felt temporary—just a lockdown and some changing headlines. But as the reality of the pandemic set in, I made the difficult decision: for the first time since founding Noggin, we would not have our SPARK program. Then I got a call from our partner asking if we could deliver SPARK online. My knee-jerk reaction in my head was, “Absolutely not.” SPARK was designed to be tactile and hands-on with fun games and activities . I said I’d look into it ,  hung up the phone, cried a little, and prayed a lot .  To my surprise, within a few days, I had figured out how to take Noggin online. We found ourselves in the same place as many schools at the time — figuring it out!  With a month to go before Summer we created a curriculum including digital activitie s, videos and games using online platforms without ChatGPT .  With the help of flexible and dedicated teachers we were able to make the virtual experience a success. Despite all my fears, we pulled it off and gave the kids a great summer. Behind the scenes, however, we were facing a financial crisis. Donations dropped dramatically. With so much uncertainty, many people stopped giving. We reached a point where our cash reserves were so low that I had to tell the board we would have to close if we didn’t receive more donations within the next month. Like many nonprofits, we were hanging on by a thread and I didn’t know how we would recover . Then George Floyd was tragically killed, and our world changed. The protests and conversations around racial justice sparked a movement that also changed Noggin. Friends began reaching out, asking what they could do in light of the injustices that were being revealed.  They wanted to know how they could make b lack lives matter. I told them that the majority of the students we served were black and brown.  It had been our mission to honor their lives by ensuring they have access to academic opportunities that lead to lasting success.   I challenged them , and those who had supported us before , to support our students and help us level the playing field. And our work had a broad impact, reaching beyond our students to also positively influence their families and peers.  Our mission resonated. Donations started coming in again, and many people gave for the first time. B y the end of the year, we were out of financial danger. Though it came through a deeply painful moment in our history, that surge of support helped save Noggin—and allowed us to continue impacting hundreds of students and their families. 2020 Timeline June- First Virtual S.P.A.R.K Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, S.P.A.R.K. went virtual. 67 students from two organizations were served in Downtown and South Dallas.

School Dazed Podcast At the end of 2018, David and I were invited to be guests on a podcast. It was our first time doing anything like that. While this kind of thing is right up David’s alley, I’ve never been a fan of speaking off the cuff. Still, they wanted to talk about Noggin, and as the primary promoter of our work—I agreed. As expected, David was a natural, and I managed to get through it well enough. On our way out, the station manager stopped us in the hallway and said, “You guys should do a podcast.” I laughed and quickly responded that podcasts were more my husband’s thing—and politely declined. God laughs at our plans. Sure enough, I felt God nudging me to reconsider. David and I began talking about how much we’d learned—and still had to learn—as parents navigating the education system. Even though David was a seasoned teacher and I worked in education, we lacked the support and knowledge we desired to help our kids. I’d long thought there needed to be a space for parents to access this kind of insight—originally imagining it would take the form of a blog. After the God-nudge, I realized a podcast was the perfect platform to support parents. At some point, the name School Dazed: Help for Moms and Dads of School-Aged Kids  came to me. The title reflected exactly how we felt much of the time—dazed and overwhelmed trying to keep up. We decided we didn’t want the show to be just about us; we wanted to bring in experts—people who could speak directly to the issues. In January 2019, I decided to move forward—with lots of research and a healthy dose of fear. We went back to the same podcast studio where we’d first been guests. Their setup included equipment and an engineer, which made us sound and look professional from the start. David and I were amazed at how many people were eager to join us—from local school district officials to a Mount Everest–climbing memory champion, to guests from as far away as Australia. It became clear that people were actively looking for a platform to share their stories, experiences, and expertise. And to our shock, listeners from all over the world wanted to hear what they had to say! To this day, School Dazed  has been downloaded in 30+ countries. Producing and co-hosting the show was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I took the lead on research and often came up with way too many questions. I wanted to be fully prepared—not just for myself, but to represent the curiosity and concerns of other parents like us. David was the perfect co-host yin to my yang. He brought the comic relief and years of classroom experience, while I was the well-researched and eager-to-learn-more mom. It was truly a labor of love that required a significant investment of time and energy. Eventually, that time commitment is what led us to sunset the show after 96 episodes. We hope that someday the time and resources will align for School Dazed  to return. Even now, I’ll catch myself in a moment and think, “That would make a great episode!” Our little show continues to get thousands of downloads, and we are grateful it still has an audience. David and I truly treasure the show, the time we shared exploring something new, and pray that it continues to inspire and encourage parents today.   Click below to explore Seasons 1-4! https://schooldazedshow.com/show-archive 2019 Timeline January- School Dazed: Help For Moms and Dads of School-Aged Kids  podcast launched

Hey Brainiacs! We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our mixer this Thursday, May 1st at Times Ten Cellars at 6 pm. You can find the Evite here ! STEM Strong Sisters 2025 is off to a great start and looking forward to several summer field trips. S.P.A.R.K. and Robotics Camp are returning again this summer, we are excited to continue these programs and engage with more kids!

Homework help is provided by high school students. This is not our tutoring service, so homework helpers will not teach or instruct. They are similar to a sibling or parent who provides homework assistance at home.