The St. Louis Science Center quietly hit pause on its decades-old Youth Exploring Science (YES) program in December, cutting off roughly 90 high school students from weekly stipends, internships and college-prep support. Participants and longtime staff say the shutdown came with almost no warning and left seniors without the laptops and end-of-year resources they had been promised.
According to First Alert 4, former YES manager Lauren Patrick said staff were told that community science roles were eliminated effective immediately. Parent Nicole Adewale called the change "a loss of community." The outlet reports that when the program was paused, students lost their weekly stipends and other support right away, leaving families scrambling.
How Staff and Families Got the News
In mid-December, employees on the Community Science team expected a routine meeting. Instead, they were told their positions were gone and several were escorted off the campus that same day, according to St. Louis Magazine. Three days later, organizers say youth participants received an email telling them their participation was no longer needed. The Science Center also canceled its Martin Luther King Jr. weekend showcase that had been tied to the YES program. The center's diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion strategist later characterized the move not as a shutdown but as a pause for a redesign.
Students Lost Pay and College Prep
About 90 teens in the 2025–26 cohort had been earning around $40 to $60 per week in stipends and counting on YES for mentorship, resume-building and hands-on science experience, St. Louis American reports. Former staff told the paper that the sudden end to stipends and access to internships forced families to hunt for last-minute alternatives during a critical stretch of the school year.
Funders Were Leaning In, Not Pulling Back
Just months before the pause, the YES program had landed new backing. A gift from the Burns & McDonnell Foundation announced in mid-2025 pledged $250,000 to expand the initiative's reach and programming, according to Burns & McDonnell. The investment highlighted a program that appeared to be growing even as core staff positions were being cut.
Science Center Lays Out a Redesign Timeline
In a March 2 statement, the Science Center said YES is "undergoing a comprehensive redesign" expected to last roughly eight to twelve months, with recruitment for a new cohort slated for early 2027 and student participation to begin later that year, First Alert 4 notes. The center stated that the redesign is meant to modernize curriculum, improve tracking of outcomes and expand partnerships across the region.
Community Wants Answers, Not Just Promises
Parents, alumni and community partners say that timeline is little consolation for current seniors and other teens who expected wrap-up support this academic year. Local reporting has found that the Science Center and the Zoo-Museum District have not responded to requests for a fuller explanation of what happened and why. Families and former educators are now seeking records, transition plans and guarantees that student work and files will not be lost, according to St. Louis American.
Advocates warn that a long redesign without an interim plan risks losing a whole group of teens who have leaned on YES for mentorship, paid work and a path to college. They are pressing for a clear and time-limited transition that protects students' progress and preserves their records, St. Louis Magazine reports.
