— CA3 Responds to California State Budget —
Fulfilling California’s Promise of Universal Afterschool and Summer:
Progress Made and Key Solutions Still Needed
Concrete solutions the Governor and state legislators must act on to realize their bold afterschool vision
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2022 — Last night, Governor Newsom signed the 2022-23 state budget, approved by the California State Legislature on Wednesday. The California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) unwaveringly supports the state’s commitment to expand access to afterschool and summer learning programs for hundreds of thousands of students and their families through investments into the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P). First and foremost, this historic investment and goal toward universal access to afterschool and summer programs is unprecedented and should be celebrated!
For decades expanded learning programs have proven their value in providing safe, supportive learning environments that increase student engagement and success. Their critical role has only been further elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced access to care and enrichment when learning recovery and safe spaces have been needed more than ever. This $4 billion win will help support access to full-day, full-year instruction and enrichment for elementary school students, with a focus on our most underserved schools. We applaud two ELO-P improvements that have been added to the Governor’s initial budget: increasing the ELO-P funding for schools with the greatest needs, and investing $5 million annually into essential technical assistance support.
While the Governor and Legislature publicly acknowledge that implementing a program of the size and scope of ELO-P will be a big lift for local school districts and community partners, it will take more than words and funding to make this investment accessible and impactful for students and their families. As the workforce, experts, and implementers of afterschool and summer programs, we recommend three solutions that the Legislature and Governor must act on if they want the state’s current $4 billion investment to be successful and sustainable:
Empower communities and educators to build the necessary infrastructure. Unlike the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), Master Plan for Early Learning and Care, and the Community Schools Partnership Program, where effective planning, stakeholder engagement, and coordination have been intentionally included, ELO-P has not received resources to support any of these actions that are known to yield successful results. Practitioners and stakeholders need to be included in planning and implementation, as their diverse experiences and expertise are essential to identify and address policy and regulatory barriers to provide equitable access to quality learning opportunities. Statewide data should be collected and school administrators, students, families, community partners, state department staff, and legislative representatives should discuss these critical issues and develop recommendations for universal access. The Legislature and Governor specifically name that both community partners and blending and braiding funds are necessary components of ELO-P‘s success, but there has been no statewide method for input and little practitioner guidance to ensure this happens.
Stabilize the existing program foundation. Existing publicly funded program providers had trouble recruiting and retaining staff before the pandemic due to low wages. Most After School Education and Safety (ASES) and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) programs are still not back to pre-pandemic staffing levels and the demand for expanded learning staff has grown dramatically with ELO-P. Students and families lose out when there is not enough staff. With fixed student-to-staff ratios, programs have no choice but to reduce the number of students they serve if they do not have enough staff. These programs cannot offer livable or competitive wages to recruit and retain their diverse and qualified workforce when they receive just $10.18 per student per day in state or federal funding, particularly with rising costs to operate, a state minimum wage that will increase to $15.50, and 8.3% inflation. This budget includes cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for LCFF, early learning and childcare, and most other educational programs, but afterschool programs remain at a stagnant $10.18 per student per day. Investing up to $5 billion in new programs on top of an unstable foundation is counterproductive and will dramatically slow the work of getting more kids into quality programs.
Provide equitable opportunities for middle and high school students. The vast majority of funding for afterschool programs is directed toward younger students, leaving out middle school and high school students who would strongly benefit from participating in expanded learning programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the mental health, engagement, and learning of middle and high school students across California. The state is facing a serious attendance crisis, and research shows that participation in afterschool programs is linked to increased school day attendance. Yet fewer than 25% of high schools in California receive any state or federal funding for afterschool programs. When the state’s historic investment in the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) grows to $5 billion by 2025, less than 1.5% of the state’s total afterschool funding will be prioritized for high school students, and no funding will be specifically protected for middle school students. The $5 billion committed to ELO-P needs to be expanded to older students.
CA3 looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with Governor Newsom and legislative leaders to realize the state’s vision for afterschool and summer learning for all students in California.
This is the first summer with ELO-P in full effect. Now is the time to check out what these programs look like and how they operate. If you are interested in hosting or joining a site visit in your local community, contact us at ben@partnerforchildren.org.
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA AFTERSCHOOL ADVOCACY ALLIANCE
California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) is the statewide voice for expanded learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs. CA3 is a coalition of expanded learning providers and advocacy organizations from across the state representing a diverse range of California communities and serving hundreds of thousands of families daily. ca3advocacy.com
CALIFORNIA AFTERSCHOOL ADVOCACY ALLIANCE MEMBERS
A World Fit for Kids; After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles; arc; Bay Area Community Resources; Bright Futures for Youth; California AfterSchool Network; California Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs; California School-Age Consortium; California State Alliance of YMCAs; California Teaching Fellows Foundation; Children Now; Community Youth Ministries; EDMO; EduCare Foundation; Envisioneers; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Great Public Schools Now; Heart of Los Angeles; Keep Youth Doing Something; LA's BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program; LA Boys and Girls Clubs Collaborative; LA Conservation Corps; LA STEM Collective; Mission: Readiness; Partnership for Children & Youth; Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center; STAR Inc.; Team Prime Time; The Children's Initiative; Think Together; Woodcraft Rangers; YMCA of San Diego County
Contact
Stephanie Pollick, stephanie@partnerforchildren.org, (510) 830-4200 x1616