State legislators and staff heard testimony on afterschool and expanded learning programs’ impact on students last month at the state Capitol in a briefing co-sponsored by ACSA.

Superintendent Heather Pilgrim of Oak Valley Union Elementary School District discussed her experience implementing afterschool programs funded by the Expanded Learning Opportunity Program (ELO-P) in her district, where she said about 300 students are enrolled in expanded learning. In total, her district has 570 students. “I knew to have the students come and stay after school, it had to be enticing for them,” Pilgrim said at the briefing. “And it has.”

ACSA, Partnership for Children and Youth and other organizations hosted the briefing to educate legislative staff about ELO-P funding and how such programs support ACSA’s advocacy to maintain full funding and flexibility.

Beginning in 2021-22, Gov. Gavin Newsom dedicated $4 billion in ongoing funding to ELO-P, which he has said will help close opportunity gaps in education. Pilgrim highlighted the benefits of these programs for working parents and families, as well as their potential to improve student mental wellness.

“Kids were scared to come back to school after the pandemic,” she said. “I think this program is encouraging them … they’re feeling supported.”

Mike Taylor, coordinator of expanded learning at San Rafael City Schools, said expanded learning gives students “new experiences” outside of the classroom through dance classes and trips to climbing gyms and ceramics studios. According to Bay Area Community Resources, a briefing co-sponsor, other districts in the area also use the additional expanded learning funds to provide “enrichment activities” that students might not otherwise experience.

“We have these amazing opportunities that, two years ago, were not possible,” Taylor said.

Bay Area Community Resources Program Manager Anita Grullon Smith added that the ability to take students on field trips has been instrumental in improving program enrollment.

“This funding is giving students the opportunity to see beyond their circumstances, and to have fun,” she said.

Expanded learning programs can give high school students a chance to work with younger children, Smith said. With California facing a significant educator shortage, she said tapping into the expanded learning workforce could help introduce young people to a career in education.

Bay Area Community Resources Afterschool Instructor Emily Gomez participated in an internship program in high school that allowed her to teach in a middle-school afterschool program. Now, she hopes to become a transitional kindergarten teacher.

“It was a challenge, but it allowed me to experience what it takes to lead a lesson and build a relationship with students,” she said.