"We really like to provide hands-on experiences for our kids. To have the kids working with real musicians, a real artist and to go to the science center and use actual microscopes and see actual butterfly cocoons is a wonderful opportunity," CHIME principal Julie Fabrocini said. "The money from The California Wellness Foundation will help us do that, and for that we are grateful."

Fabrocini said money from the grant will be used to buy science materials and help fund the school's art and music programs.

Created in 1992 as an independent, private foundation, The California Wellness Foundation's mission is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention programs.

CHIME Charter Elementary School and its sister campus, CHIME Charter Middle School, are independent schools that provide free public education through affiliation with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The schools serve as demonstration and teacher-training sites for Cal State Northridge's nationally acclaimed Michael D. Eisner College of Education.