TEACH was built on a simple but radical idea: that education belongs to everyone — regardless of where they are, what they've done, or what the world thinks of them.
T.E.A.C.H. — Taking Education And Creating History — was born from the lived understanding that the criminal justice system fails people long before the sentence is handed down. The failure begins earlier: in under-resourced schools, in communities without opportunity, in a society that tells certain people their story is already written.
TEACH was founded to interrupt that narrative. Not with charity — but with education. Not with pity — but with genuine belief in human potential. Our founders walked into Washington State correctional facilities not as outsiders looking in, but as people connected to these communities in the most personal ways.
Founded in 2013 by Kimonti Carter, what started as a single workshop inside one facility has grown into a multi-program, multi-facility initiative that is changing the reentry landscape in Washington State — and building a model for the nation.
To bridge the education gap inside Washington State correctional facilities — providing incarcerated individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to build meaningful futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
A society in which incarceration marks the beginning of transformation, not the end of opportunity — where every person who has served time is equipped, supported, and welcomed to contribute fully to their community.
We don't deliver programs to people. We build them with people. Every curriculum is co-designed with input from participants, facilitators, and formerly incarcerated community leaders who understand the terrain from the inside.
Every person we serve is seen, respected, and treated with the full humanity they deserve — unconditionally.
Knowledge is transformative and should be universally accessible — not a privilege reserved for the already powerful.
We rise or fall together. Real change happens not in isolation but in relationship — with each other and with the broader world.
We hold ourselves and every participant to a high standard — because low expectations are the cruelest form of disrespect.
We believe in the capacity of every human being to grow, heal, and contribute — no exceptions, no asterisks.
From one room to an entire movement — this is how TEACH grew.
Kimonti Carter founds T.E.A.C.H. — Taking Education And Creating History — with a vision to bring rigorous education inside Washington State's correctional facilities.
TEACH establishes its first facility partnerships and develops the foundational curriculum that will power future programs.
The volunteer facilitator network takes shape. TEACH expands programming and deepens its presence inside partner facilities.
TEACH navigates the COVID-19 pandemic — adapting and maintaining connection with participants through one of the most challenging periods in corrections history.
TEACH expands to five programs across multiple facilities. The first full cohort completes the complete multi-program curriculum.
With Marcus Altheimer joining as Operational Director, TEACH formalizes infrastructure, expands to six facilities, and builds toward its next chapter.
TEACH is led by a team of educators, advocates, and community builders who bring both lived experience and professional expertise to every program.
Kimonti Carter is the visionary founder of TEACH, establishing the organization in 2013 with an unshakeable conviction that education inside correctional facilities could transform lives, reduce recidivism, and change communities. His leadership gives TEACH its soul — and its standard.
Marcus Altheimer serves as TEACH's Operational Director, driving day-to-day operations and strategic growth under Kimonti's leadership. An author and community advocate, Marcus brings to TEACH the belief that narrative — and the ability to write it — is the foundation of self-determination.
Our 40+ volunteer facilitators are teachers, professionals, and community members who show up week after week because they believe in this work — and in the people doing it.
The TEACH story is still being written. Every volunteer, donor, and partner adds a chapter. What will yours say?