Mission
It cost about $81,000 per year to incarcerate and house an inmate in a California juvenile system or prison. Why not invest in a brighter future for our youth? HPEC's mission is to reduce the growing inmate population, but other street and gang activity that could lead to a life of trauma and crime. Children coming from low-income neighborhoods have a tendency to not do well in school due to their current life circumstances, which they have little control over beyond their education.
Our Interns, who are both tutors and mentors, are trained in "Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©️" (PBLT©️) recovery methods and strategies to build students up for a lifestyle of academic and personal success. With positive mentoring a student can learn that their current circumstances do not define them. Many of the students attending HPEC achieve honor roll status by the end of their second year.
Our Programs
Our Proprietary Curriculum: Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©
Our Proprietary Curriculum: Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©
Our Proprietary Curriculum: Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©
HPEC’s programs are grounded in Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©, also known as PBLT©, a proprietary curriculum developed by HPEC Founder Gloria Morris. PBLT© is designed to support students not only academically, but also socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. Through guided mentoring, positive role modeling, personal responsibility, character development, and structured academic support, students learn how to build confidence, strengthen self-discipline, and develop the life skills needed for long-term success.
At HPEC, we believe academic growth and personal growth work together. Many of the students we serve need more than homework help. They need encouragement, consistency, structure, and caring adults who believe in their ability to improve. PBLT© helps create that foundation by teaching students how to make positive choices, recover from setbacks, and see themselves as capable learners and future leaders.
HPEC UCM Summer Prep Academy
Our Proprietary Curriculum: Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©
Our Proprietary Curriculum: Principle-Based Lifestyle Training©
The HPEC UCM Summer Prep Academy (Formerly known as UCM Summer Camp) is a 7-week academic enrichment and preparation program hosted at the University of California, Merced. Summer 2026 marks HPEC’s 11th year being hosted by UC Merced, continuing a long-standing partnership that gives students access to a college-centered learning environment.
The Summer Prep Academy is designed to help students strengthen their academic foundation before entering the next school year. Coursework focuses on grade-level preparation, academic recovery, reading and writing development, math support, study skills, socio-emotional learning, mentoring, and confidence-building activities. Students are encouraged to see themselves as capable learners while being exposed to a university setting that helps inspire future educational goals.
Through structured coursework, mentoring, and enrichment, the HPEC UCM Summer Prep Academy prepares students to return to school with stronger academic skills, improved self-esteem, and a greater sense of purpose.
HPEC 557 (After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program)
HPEC 557 (After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program)
HPEC 557 (After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program)
HPEC 557 is HPEC’s After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program serving students from TK through 8th grade. This program operates Monday through Thursday from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
The focus of HPEC 557 is to support students who need additional academic encouragement, structure, and targeted tutoring. Many of the students served are slower academic learners who benefit from consistent support, patient instruction, and positive mentoring. In addition to academic tutoring, the program provides training in socio-emotional learning skills and support for students with mild to moderate at-risk behavior needs.
HPEC 557 is designed to meet students where they are and help them grow academically, socially, and personally. Through tutoring, mentoring, and PBLT©-based support, students build stronger learning habits, improve confidence, and develop the skills needed to make better choices in and out of the classroom.
HPEC 2.0 High Dosage Tutoring & Academic Recovery After School
HPEC 557 (After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program)
HPEC 557 (After School Tutoring, Mentoring & Training Low Dosage Program)
HPEC 2.0 is HPEC’s school-site-based High Dosage Tutoring & Academic Recovery Program. This program is designed to change the academic trajectory of students who are among the lowest performing and who may also be experiencing at-risk behaviors.
Through intensive tutoring, mentoring, socio-emotional support, and PBLT©-based strategies, HPEC 2.0 helps students rebuild confidence, improve academic performance, strengthen test scores, and raise personal self-esteem. The goal is to help students move toward higher levels of achievement, including earning recognition such as placement on the Principal’s Honor Roll within 1–2 school years, along with continued support through one summer at the UC Merced HPEC Summer Prep Academy.
HPEC is currently partnered with Merced City School District and hosts an HPEC 2.0 High Dosage Tutoring After School Program at John Muir Elementary School in Merced. The student cohorts currently served range from TK through 6th grade.
HPEC 2.0 provides students with the consistent academic recovery support, behavioral encouragement, and mentoring relationships needed to help them experience success at school and beyond.
Our Team
Our team consists of student cohorts from UC Merced and colleges such as CSU Stanislaus, and Merced College. HPEC also provides opportunities for local high school students to participate as Community Service volunteers.
All of the volunteers and staff members gain hands-on experience working with underserved students K-12. They assist students with one-on-one homework tutorials and socio-emotional behavioral support. They are afforded the opportunity to build their work experiences and professional resumes.
Both staff and volunteers develop the compassion and desire to help the less fortunate. Students K-12 learn to appreciate working hard knowing that they're more than the labels society places upon them (such as "dumb, failing, etc").
Our Partners & Affiliates
