New survey findings show 97 percent of California local educational agencies and 88 percent of community-based organizations (CBOs) used Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) funds to serve more students either by opening new programs or expanding existing ones.
Based on more than 100 surveys and 11 interviews with LEAs and community-based providers, the Partnership for Children & Youth found that ELO-P has significantly expanded program access for underserved students in both the summer and school year and is driving new investments in quality and staff.
By coordinating with the pre-existing After School Education and Safety (ASES) and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) programs, expanding programs via the ELO-P has eliminated or reduced many wait lists, reaching more students and benefiting more working families. According to the organization’s report released June 26, more than 70 percent of both LEA and CBO providers had wait lists prior to ELO-P due to underfunding of ASES and 21st CCLC, and now a majority of LEAs and half of CBOs have no wait list and those that do are often quite small and mostly limited by staffing challenges.
Jenel Edlund, director of special projects at West Covina Unified School District, said ELO-P funding was a “game changer for expanding and enhancing the support we provide to students and families, and has been a factor in recruiting families to our district. The after-school time has become an essential part of our plan for student success, especially around developing the whole child.”
San Rafael City Schools Expanded Learning Opportunities Coordinator Michael Taylor shared a similar sentiment, saying, “The message from families is clear — without ELO-P they would not be able to get new jobs, keep their jobs or go to school. ELO-P allows students to be with caring adults who help with homework, solve problems, make friends and have access to enriching programs they might not otherwise have access to.”
Key findings
ELO-P is reaching many more underserved students. About 56 percent of LEAs indicate that at least 30 percent of their students are English learners, compared to the statewide average of 19 percent, and 81 percent of LEAs and 75 percent of CBOs report that at least 70 percent of the students they serve are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, compared to 60 percent statewide. In Oakland USD for instance, 81 percent of students in ELO-P funded programs are eligible for the school meals program, compared to 76 percent of all students districtwide.
ELO-P is serving students year-round. With ELO-P, 95 percent of LEAs and 92 percent of CBOs expanded their days and/or hours of operation into summer, during intersession breaks and/or before school. Los Angeles USD, for example, opened 237 summer programs with ELO-P dollars, and Amador County USD extended its summer program by two weeks.
ELO-P is improving program quality. Nearly all LEAs (97 percent) and CBOs (96 percent) reported using ELO-P to improve program quality by providing more and diverse enrichment activities, professional development and training and more.
In addition to calling for increased funding and capacity in technical assistance and collection and reporting of state-level data on program participation, school-day attendance, demographics of ELO-P participants and other factors to ensure ELO-P is impacting the students prioritized by the state, the report recommends maintaining ongoing and consistent ELO-P funding.
“Because addressing educational inequities cannot be done over a year or two, school districts and community-based organizations need stable funding to make impactful decisions and commitments,” the report concludes. “Thousands of new staff have been hired and tens of thousands of new families have come to depend on these programs and state leaders must continue to assure educators and leaders ELO-P is here to stay.”
