Welcome to Olive Children
Olive Children Foundation is a 501(C) not-for-profit educational organization. It was founded in 2010 with the vision that the youth of today can be transformed into the leaders of tomorrow, and on the belief that all children should realize their potential to transform the world.
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The first Reggio-Inspired preschool with STEaM In Fremont
Leadership & STEM-Based afterschool center. We do STEM every week.
Introducing Computer Science and Engineering in Preschool and K - G8
Engineering Everywhere: Empower youth to become effective problem solvers.
Who We Are
Olive Children Foundation is a 501c(3) nonprofit, educational organization that strives to prepare our children to be the future leaders of tomorrow. Our first site (Olive Mission) opened in the heart of Mission Boulevard across the street from the olive trees of Ohlone College, Fremont, California. Today, we have three sites in Fremont (Olive Children Mission, Olive Children Warm Springs, and Olive Children St James). Founded in 2010 by an educator and entrepreneur- Joni Jen- it embodies the ideal that young children can make a significant impact by serving their community. As a visionary entrepreneurial duo, Joni and her team strive to uncover students’ leadership and academic potential while improving their self-esteem and core strengths. Together, we believe leadership blossoms in every child.
What We Do: Youth Leadership
In tandem with Fremont Unified School District’s 8 Great Traits and Tribes Learning Communities philosophy, students will learn leadership through community-building activities. Each month, we focus on one or more traits. How can we incorporate these traits into our speech, attitude, and behavior towards others? After exploring the trait through discussion and tribal interactions, the month culminates in a collaborative service project. Each project requires students to problem-solve, find resources, and interface with diverse populations. Our understanding of community itself will expand from our classroom or campus into our collective, neighborhood, and city.
At Olive: Friday Community Meetings
Students engage in a Community Meeting where they can share their feelings and make good decision about their learning environments.
Students can propose new ideas such as a “Silence-No Talking Homework Room” or address an existing issue such as what to do with Student Store Profits.
The meeting concludes by giving space for students to Acknowledge their peers to encourage reflective and positive thinking.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
― Mother Teresa
In Our Community: Serving Others
Even the youngest generation can make a difference in their community as demonstrated by students at Olive WS and Berkeley Academy.
Seventeen eager students arrived at the ABODE Sunrise Village Shelter with a common goal in sight- serving others.
After serving over 30+ family members, students followed proper etiquette and cleaned up after themselves.
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Ongoing supporting Afterschool homework help and enrichment activities in the East Bay Area, CA.
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We provide the financial scholarships to under-served students to attend the summer camps and afterschool activities.
Around the World
Homebuilding in Mexico
Since 2014, We’ve worked together with many families and conducted numerous presentations to the communities. As of Winter 2015, 30+ homes have been built by our Bay Area families and high school students from Mission San Jose High, James Logan High, American High, Irvington High, Cupertino High, as well as Pleasanton and San Ramon High Schools. More than 250 people have been involved in homebuilding.
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Adopting Children
Olive Children Foundation has been sponsoring children around the world through World Vision for the past 4 years. We want to address global inequality by giving struggling families a chance at an education. Currently, we sponsor 30+ children all over the world.
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Rummage Sale for Nepal
After the devastating earthquakes in Nepal, our students wanted to help! We focused all of energy on Leadership Fridays: Rummage Sale to Benefit Nepal.
Students created art pieces, made posters, advertised, and wrote articles in the local paper to gather attention. Students asked local businesses for donations and went through their homes to donate their items.
We had an awesome and very successful rummage sale and bake sale!
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American Youth Ambassador
Join us in the summer of 2018 as we sent out over a dozen students to China for a cultural learning experience. Students had been trained over a series of weeks to in preparation to teach English in China. Through excursions and tours, students came back with an appreciation of Chinese language and culture.
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Board of Directors
Joni Jen is a mother, childhood educator and entrepreneur. Living and working in the Bay Area for over 30 years, she is the founder and CEO of Olive Children Foundation -- a non-profit organization that strives to prepare the children of today to be the leaders of tomorrow. Her vision is centered around early access to quality education, irrespective of socioeconomic background. She hopes to realize this vision by applying a hands-on, STEAM based curriculum where children can learn by doing. Joni is nothing if not tenacious, persistently pursuing this dream for many years. Through the community services initiatives, she was able to meet like-minded individuals from the community that share a passion for service. She hopes to cultivate these budding relationships into friendships and partnerships in the years to come
Tammy Long currently serves as the Executive Pastor of South Bay Community Church in Fremont. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Cal State East Bay, a Masters in Christian Formation from North Park Seminary. She is passionate about seeing people of all ages reach their fullest potential and become all they were intended to become: emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Tammy firmly believes we are better together, and that every person has a unique gift and contribution to share for the good and benefit of all.
Edward Njoo oversees research & development operations at ASDRP, our high school research program, where he also mentors a group of high school students involved in organic chemistry research, and has previously been involved in developing several programs at Olive in STEM education and connecting science with kids in the Fremont community. Edward received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry at Loyola Marymount University, and his master's degree in Science & Religion from Biola University / Talbot School of Theology; currently, he is a PhD candidate at Stanford University. Edward is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (ASMBM), National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) and California Science Teachers Association (CSTA), and has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in organic chemistry, chemical biology, and chemical education / science education.
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