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OUR PROGRAMS
Antioch Educational Center is committed to providing educational opportunities to individuals from underserved communities, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and build a better future. Our team is driven by the belief that every individual deserves access to quality education and the chance to thrive. We continuously strive to create a nurturing and inclusive environment where learning knows no bounds.
Summer Youth Work
June 2025 marks the 10th year of the Summer Youth Work Program. This program provides first-time job opportunities for 473 low-income students from Jasper County. Participants are in a variety of county and nonprofit workplaces, including the Human Resources Division, Computer Technology and Support, Senior Centers, Office of Deeds, County Administrator’s Office, and the Treasurer’s Office. Over the course of the seven-week program, students work 20 hours per week, gaining valuable hands-on experience and professional skills. The program also includes CPR certification for all students, college road trips, and financial literacy classes. It concludes with a formal graduation ceremon,y each student receives a certificate of completion, a letter of recommendation, gifts from their site supervisors, and special awards recognizing the top 10 performers.
Scholars
The Antioch Scholars celebrates its 12th year of empowering Jasper County students in 1st through 5th grade. The program provides high-quality educational, behavioral, and leadership training for 1 through 4th graders from low-income households. Its mission is to help “average or struggling” students reach gifted and talented performance levels within a single academic year. Over 90% of students who complete the program go on to dual-enroll as juniors and seniors at Jasper County High School and Technical College of the Lowcountry, graduating with both a high school diploma and an associate degree — a powerful head start on their future.
Nursing Assistant Training
(CNA)
Now in its 12th year, AEC’s Nursing Assistant Training Program has graduated nearly 300 students, with 249 currently working as Certified Nursing Assistants across South Carolina. This impactful workforce development initiative has helped unemployed and underemployed residents from Jasper, Beaufort, Hampton, and Colleton counties build sustainable careers in a high-demand field.
AEC will remain a leader in providing quality medical training with continued growth and community support. AEC aims to rise into the top 10 programs in South Carolina. With continued growth and community support, AEC aims to rise into the top 10 programs in South Carolina in the future.
Feeding Our Youngest
AEC launched the Feeding Our Children Project to support some of Jasper County’s most vulnerable youth. The initiative focuses on children ages three to five from low-income households, providing them with consistent access to nutritious food.
AEC partners with Beaufort and Jasper EOC, which oversees the Head Start Program in Jasper County, to expand its reach. AEC provides a take-home food bag program, delivering weekly bags of healthy food to Jasper County’s Head Start centers. This is a much-needed effort. A defining feature of this effort is that it’s operated entirely by AEC’s dedicated volunteers.
Feeding Our Seniors
This impactful program enables AEC to provide nutritious food to 150 low-income seniors across Jasper County. In a rural community where many older adults face quiet, often overlooked poverty, this initiative offers vital support and dignity.
In 2023, AEC partnered with the Jasper County Council on Aging to identify the county’s most vulnerable seniors. Through this collaboration, AEC delivers 150 food bags to each of Jasper County’s three senior centers (Ridgeland, Hardeeville, and Robertsville), ensuring consistent access to healthy meals for those most in need.
Toy Giveaway
AEC’s Holiday Gift Drive delivers toys and gifts to more than 400 Jasper County children each Christmas. This all-volunteer effort coordinates donations from across South Carolina and manages collection and delivery so local children have something special to open for the holidays.
Applications open annually on October 1. If you’re a parent of a Jasper County Head Start student and need holiday assistance for your child, please complete the intake application below and email it to pw.aec@yahoo.com.
Clothing Closet
AEC receives large bi-monthly clothing donations from the Church Mouse Thrift Shop on Hilton Head Island. These generous contributions include gently used, clean clothing for infants, children, and adults. The items are distributed through AEC’s food pantries and rotated among several Jasper County housing communities to ensure fair access.
Thanks to The Church Mouse’s long-standing partnership and commitment to Jasper County, AEC provides free clothing to hundreds of low-income households. If you or someone you know is in need of gently used clothing, please contact AEC at pw.aec@yahoo.com.
Legal Services
Like many rural communities, Jasper County has limited access to affordable legal services. AEC now connects low-income residents with qualified attorneys for help with matters such as powers of attorney, expungements, landlord–tenant disputes, child support, and more.
AEC provides free access to facilities and utilities for these attorneys, enabling them to deliver much-needed legal assistance to local families. This support helps low-income community members resolve barriers and move forward with greater stability and quality of life.
If you’re interested and part of a low-income Jasper County household, please complete the intake application below and email it to pw.aec@yahoo.com.
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AEC’s Legal Service Program does not include assistance for any felonies.