LBUSD will expand after-school programs districtwide, asks for parent input

Every Long Beach Unified elementary, K-8 and middle school will offer robust after-school programs beginning next year as a result of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) Plan. 

A draft of the plan was presented to the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) board at their Wednesday meeting and will be voted on for approval at the June 22 meeting.

As per the ELO-P plan guide, expanded learning and expanded learning opportunities—both terms can be used interchangeably—refer to before and after school programs that focus on “developing the academic, social, emotional and physical needs and interests of pupils.” 

These skills are developed through engaging learning experiences and intend to complement the learning activities of the regular school day.

In LBUSD, ELO-P programs begin immediately after the school day ends and runs until 6 p.m. Many of the after-school programs are operated by community partners such as YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club. After-school programs are scheduled to take place in the newly furnished kindergarten and transitional kindergarten (TK) classrooms as well as in the school playgrounds. 

Board members Megan Kerr and Juan Benitez expressed their excitement about the expansion and its positive impact on the community.

Kerr pointed out that the lack of afterschool programs that best fit a family’s schedule can affect school choice.

“Potentially, there may be more families that stay in their neighborhood school because now we have options that they weren’t afforded before,” Kerr said. 

For Benitez, what stood out the most was that the programs are an additional resource to regular academic enrichment that is already being offered at the school level.

“So really, it is a shift in terms of our full-service community school model where you have additional programming in the neighborhood at your school,” Benitez said. 

The ELO-P plan stems from an amendment to the California Education Code that established a plan for how all children can access full-day learning programs the year before kindergarten. The plans must be developed and presented to the school board by June 30. 

The district currently receives about $12 million for after-school programs and recently received an additional $17.3 million from the state to expand these opportunities and reach more students. 

According to Cindy Young, senior director of Early Childhood and Extended learning, ELO-P funds are ongoing. Some of the key requirements for how these funds must be used include: 

• Offering the program to all TK to 8th grade students in the district.
• Offering the program for all school days and an additional 30 intercession days spread out across Thanksgiving, winter, spring and summer breaks. 
• Continued engagement with community partners.
• Student to adult ratio cannot exceed 10 to 1.
• A focus on both academics and enrichment activities. 

Young said that the standards of these programs, better known as Learning in Afterschool and Summer principles (LIAS) are crucial to exposing children to skills that will allow them to become better equipped young adults. 

LIAS include learning that is: 

• Active: Through physical activities and hands-on and project-based activities 
• Collaborative: Allows for team learning through listening to others, resolving conflicts, and highlighting what each member can bring to the group.
• Meaningful: Intends to spark motivation by centering learning that is relevant to real-world experiences and the interest and experiences of the child.
• Supports Mastery: Academic skills are applied to a real-world problem.
• Expands Horizons: Learning opportunities that expand beyond current experiences by using the surrounding community as a classroom.

Some of the current after-school programs in LBUSD are fee-based and will continue to be so. However, assistant superintendent of Elementary Schools Brian Moskovitz said that the budget will allow to reduce costs for some families as well as offer free options at all sites for students and families who are under a certain income threshold. 

“It is very much a wrap-around service where we’re going to try to support the whole child in every way that we can throughout that nine-hour day,” Moskovitz said. 

A survey was sent out to all TK-8 parents to provide their input on what they would like to see in these after-school programs. Parents and community members are also encouraged to email any feedback or questions to ELOPquestions@lbschools.net.