Volunteers help tutor kids in math

Every Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., a small number of high school youth come to Mathnasium, the math learning center in Thousand Oaks, to hone math skills they will need to pass the SAT.

This program is free to the teens, who operate most aspects of the Westchester Free Clinic, based in the United Methodist Church of Thousand Oaks on Janss Road. The clinic offers free medical services to the needy of the community.

Most of these teens are pursuing careers in the medical field, which requires a high level of math and science skills.

Mathnasium first assesses each student for strengths and weaknesses in their conceptual understanding of math. Students are then assigned a customized curriculum aimed to fill in the gaps with specific concepts, strategies and techniques.