This proposal comes at a time when local educational agencies are facing significant fiscal pressure—including rising costs, staffing shortages, and uncertainty driven in part by federal actions affecting education, child care, health care, and basic needs programs. Even with record per-pupil education spending statewide, many districts are grappling with structural deficits and difficult tradeoffs. CA3 strongly supports the Governor’s proposal to maintain cost of living adjustments to LCFF and many education programs as well as ongoing funding to increase special education base rates.

Against that backdrop, stabilizing ELO-P funding which prioritizes underserved students and communities, in addition to TK-12 and childcare funding, is especially consequential. Expanded learning programs - afterschool and summer programs - are not only educational supports; they are essential infrastructure for working families, allowing parents and caregivers to remain employed while knowing their children are safe, supported, and engaged outside the school day.

Under current law, Tier 1 districts—those serving TK–6 students with 55 percent or more unduplicated pupils—are required to offer universal access to expanded learning and receive a fixed per-pupil rate. Tier 2 districts, by contrast, have been required to offer access to unduplicated students but have relied on variable and unpredictable funding, making it difficult to plan staffing, sustain quality, or expand access.

The Governor’s proposal to invest $62.4 million in ongoing Proposition 98 funding to guarantee a $1,800 minimum rate for Tier 2 districts is a meaningful step toward correcting that imbalance. A stable rate allows districts and community-based partners to:

• Plan staffing with greater certainty

• Improve workforce retention and training

• Maintain consistent hours and program quality

• Expand access for families who depend on affordable, reliable care outside the school day

For providers and LEAs alike, predictability is not a luxury—it is the foundation for delivering high-quality programs.

Expanded learning is no longer a peripheral support. It is essential infrastructure that enables parents and caregivers to participate in the workforce while knowing their children are safe, supported, and engaged.

High-quality expanded learning programs also advance broader education goals by:

• Increasing school-day attendance and engagement, and accelerating learning

• Providing safe, enriching environments and meals during the highest-need hours of the day

• Connecting students to caring adults, enrichment opportunities, and real-world learning

California’s sustained and expansive investment has made the state the national leader in building toward quality universal access to before- and after-school programs for elementary students—an achievement worth recognizing and protecting.

CA3 strongly supports the Governor’s continued investments in Community Schools and Universal Transitional Kindergarten, including the proposal to provide $1 billion in ongoing funding to expand the community school model to thousands of additional high-need sites statewide.

Expanded learning is essential to the success of both initiatives. ELO-P provides the additional learning time, staffing stability, and partnership infrastructure that make full-day, year-round care possible. Community Schools, in particular, will not be sustainable or as effective without robust expanded learning programs that integrate academics, enrichment, and family supports beyond the traditional school day.

Taken together, ELO-P, Community Schools, and Universal TK represent a coherent vision for whole-child education—one that depends on alignment, adequate funding, and effective implementation across systems.

The Governor’s budget and broader policy agenda rightly emphasize career pathways, mentorship, public service, and workforce development, including pathways into the education profession. Expanded learning programs already play a central role in this vision—particularly for teens—by offering mentorship, leadership development, internships, career exploration, skill-development, tutoring, and early exposure to teaching and youth development careers.

Yet even as the Administration prioritizes college and career readiness, state expanded learning funding continues to leave out most middle and high school students. Currently, less than 2% of all public funding is dedicated to high school students. High school-only districts remain ineligible for ELO-P, and unified districts are focused on meeting TK–6 requirements first.

This represents a missed opportunity to more fully align expanded learning investments with the Governor’s workforce and career goals. As ELO-P enters its fourth year, CA3 believes there is strong momentum—and a strong policy case—for beginning to increase state funding to programs serving older youth, particularly high school students who benefit enormously from structured enrichment, mentorship, and career-connected opportunities.

While California’s commitment to expanded learning continues to grow, the broader context cannot be ignored. Federal actions—including funding freezes, administrative delays, and proposed cuts to child care, health care, food access, and education programs—are threatening the basic needs and stability of many of the same families and communities expanded learning programs serve.

In this environment, California’s investments in afterschool, summer learning, Community Schools, and Universal TK serve as an important stabilizing force. At the same time, continued advocacy will be necessary to ensure the state budget remains whole, responsive, and capable of addressing emerging gaps created by federal uncertainty.

This year carries particular significance. It is both the Governor’s final year in office and a moment when ELO-P has moved from launch to long-term implementation. With strong legislative leadership and continued partnership, there is an opportunity to lock in improvements that strengthen the program for years to come.

CA3 views the Governor’s 2026 Budget as a strong foundation for the year ahead and an affirmation of the essential role expanded learning plays in California’s education system and economy. CA3 looks forward to working with the Administration, Legislature, and our allies this year and longer-term to:

• Protect and ensure effective implementation of  ELO-P and Tier 2 minimum rates

• Strengthen workforce stability and program quality, including through COLAs and career pathways

• Advance greater transparency and data on access and demand

• Continue aligning ELO-P with Community Schools and Universal TK

• And begin the next phase of work to expand opportunities for middle and high school students, while increasing funding rates for our youngest learners.

Expanded learning has proven its value—to students, families, educators, and communities. The task ahead is to build on that success thoughtfully and equitably so all young people can benefit, today and in the years to come.