Expanded and Enriched Learning Time and Opportunities
Expanded and enriched learning opportunities extend beyond the traditional school day and classroom. In high-quality Community Schools, educators work alongside community partners to provide structured learning experiences during after-school hours, weekends, summer programs, and throughout the regular school day. These opportunities can include tutoring and mentoring, arts and music, physical activity, STEM, service learning, internships, career exploration, project-based learning, and other hands-on experiences that connect learning to students’ interests and communities.
Expanded learning also helps address inequities in access to enrichment. The Playbook notes that students in more affluent communities often have greater access to tutoring, arts, sports, camps, and experiential learning outside of school. Community Schools can help close these opportunity gaps by making high-quality academic and enrichment experiences more accessible to all students. Research highlighted in the Playbook connects these opportunities with improved attendance, behavior, academic achievement, graduation rates, and social-emotional and leadership development.
Source: Community Schools Playbook
After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program
The After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program is the result of the 2002 voter-approved initiative, Proposition 49.
The purpose of the ASES Program is to create incentives for establishing locally-driven expanded learning programs, including after school programs that partner with public schools and communities to provide academic and literacy support, and safe, constructive alternatives for youth. The ASES Program involves collaboration among parents, youth, and representatives from schools, governmental agencies, individuals from community-based organizations, and the private sector.
California's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Program
The purpose of the 21st CCLC Program is to support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The 21st CCLC Program helps students meet state and local academic standards in core subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement the regular academic program; and offers educational services to the families of participating children.
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P)
The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) provides funding for afterschool and summer school enrichment programs for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. “Expanded learning” means before school, after school, summer, or intersession learning programs that focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of pupils through hands-on, engaging learning experiences. It is the intent of the Legislature that expanded learning programs are pupil-centered, results driven, include community partners, and complement, but do not replicate, learning activities in the regular school day and school year.
Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California
- Quality Standards and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) for Expanded Learning
- Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California
- A Crosswalk Between the Quality Standards for Expanded Learning and Program Quality Assessment Tools