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EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAMS BY YMCA OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY 2020 - 2021 END OF YEAR REPORT

“[The Expanded Learning Program] is an absolutely imperative program to assist parents in caring for their children, that’s reliable and consistent.”

CREATING A BRIGHTER AND BETTER FUTURE

For many students from underserved communities, after-school programs are an outlet to develop their academic skills and dive into their passions – like learning to play a new musical instrument or playing soccer with peers. Through YMCA of San Diego County's Expanded Learning Programs, compassionate and trained para-educators work with students on social-emotional development. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, schools were closed, leaving students without access to distance learning support, food security, and important social-emotional learning.

Yet in a time of uncertainty, our trained para-educators and staff continued to uplift our students from vulnerable communities through virtual and in-person settings. In this 2020/2021 report, we'll dive in to the challenges our students and staff overcame and highlight their achievements throughout this difficult year.

First, let's take a step back to see the challenges and backgrounds our students in publicly funded Expanded Learning Programs experience:

  • 84% of students are socially and financially disadvantaged
  • 33% of students experience English language barriers
  • 90% of students are of color
  • 25% of students experience homelessness

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

YMCA of San Diego County's Expanded Learning Programs are designed collaboratively with district partners to provide students with active and engaged learning environments beyond the school day during the hours most parents or guardians are working. Hear from one of our very own site supervisors, Christian Hampton, as he shares his personal experience with the program.

Despite the limitation the pandemic brought, Expanded Learning Programs' activities focus on the social-emotional learning where students are offered support from compassionate and trained staff in the areas of academics, social skills and physical activity.

Funded by the California Department of Education, schools with Expanded Learning Programs have an average of 81% of their students eligible for free or reduced-price meals and serve lower income households.

YMCA of San Diego County partners with school districts and charter organizations across San Diego County to serve more than 11,000 students, including those from:

  • Chula Vista Elementary School District
  • Empower Charter School
  • Encinitas Union School District
  • Escondido Union School District
  • King-Chavez Neighborhood of Schools
  • Magnolia Science Academy
  • Museum School
  • National School District
  • San Diego Unified School District
  • San Ysidro School District

COVID-19: Job Stability and Childcare

With schools closed over the past year, families lost access to the care that supports children while parents earned wages that keep families strong. Parents who lacked economic or community access to viable care options faced the possibility of having to quit their jobs and jeopardize their economic stability in the name of caring for their children.

Even More Set Backs for Working Parents

Parents found themselves taking on both employee responsibilities and teacher roles as families adjusted to balancing working from home and supporting distance learning. According to the "Making Ends Meet" report by the Center on Policy Initiatives, more than 60,000 San Diego County students lack an appropriate device for school, and some Districts noted that up to 40% of their students lack Internet access. This translates to academic setbacks of seven months for the average student, and as much as 10 months for Black students and nine months for Latinx students.

Child Development at Risk

School closures also separated children from valuable opportunities to develop academically and socially. According to the "Beyond the Hotspot" report by San Diego for Every Child, young brains thrive on connecting with others - an experience that is difficult to recreate through a computer screen - and being surrounded by supportive adults like teachers, para-educators, and peers builds the brain architecture children need to succeed into adulthood. Instead, the isolation of quarantine and lack of interaction with other children increased the likelihood that children would experience depression and anxiety.

EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAMS TO THE RESCUE

As the virus itself disproportionately impacted vulnerable families and communities of color, its related consequences, like school closures and job instability, exposed the economic and social challenges of our society. While school access was restricted in the interest of public health, San Diego’s vulnerable families needed a trusted, accessible and safe place to survive this public health crisis. That's where Expanded Learning Programs stepped in.

“[EARLY IN the pandemic] staff showed up on site without vaccines, hazard pay or medical benefits. This just shows their dedication and passion. The program is full of caring folks from the community," said a parent.

SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN NEED

During a school year overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis, our Expanded Learning Programs kept enrichment programs open to the community, offering much-needed educational and engaging environments for students in order to help parents, especially for those who worked essential jobs.

The Expanded Learning Programs' staff understood the needs our communities were facing, and in response committed to providing enriching and supportive environments for San Diego County children to thrive while their families navigated the new challenges brought on by the pandemic.

“[The program] was phenomenal at supporting students and families during COVID. Always going above and beyond opportunities for families and students," said a principal.
“The field responded beautifully to COVID-19. There became a growing respect for expanded learning," said a YMCA of San Diego County partner.

MAKING CHILDREN A PRIORITY

Pushing through an unpredictable year, our YMCA of San Diego County staff worked behind the scenes to advocate for these programs that are essential for students' development with regional and state-wide government programs and officials.

To continue our work for students' learning development, YMCA of San Diego County is a dedicated member of the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) and part of the voice that represents the interests of nearly one million children, youth and their families who rely on publicly funded expanded learning programs throughout California. Please consider joining us in this important work.

Click here to see the communities our Expanded Learning Programs reached in the San Diego County region.

To continue working with government officials and ensure our programs are fully supported, YMCA of San Diego County is closely following the progress of state legislation that will benefit the maximum grant amounts for before- and after-school programs. Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo introduced AB 1112, which passed the Assembly Floor, is currently pending a vote in the State Senate and is expected to pass.

In addition to working closely with government officials, we continually keep up with current local and state fundings to ensure our expanded learning opportunities continue to be supported. For example, the passage of AB 86 support local education agencies to engage, plan and implement with community partners during the school reopening process.

Check out the network of amazing providers across California who are dedicated to supporting children and youth across the state.

“Our community educators are highly skilled and experienced in supporting young people’s social emotional wellbeing," said a school principal.

What People Are Saying

YMCA of San Diego County is proud to offer the Expanded Learning Programs that benefit parents, principals and other partners in our community. Their belief in the Expanded Learning Programs' mission makes our work possible. Hear what they have to say:

PARENTS

“Childcare but with learning for fun.”

“Helpful program for working parents.”

“[The staff] are a godsend; a blessing.”

Partners and Principals

“Staff think outside the box and are a collaborative partner," said a YMCA of San Diego County partner.

“[The program] offers additional enrichment activities and a time to disengage from the daily grind and make friends from other classes," said a school principal.

“Support that is inclusive of what students and families need beyond what happens in the school day," said a YMCA of San Diego County partner.

“Fun, engaging learning environment. There’s lots of learning that continues to take place," said a school principal.

“Staff do a good job at addressing critical needs of students that they might not get during the school day," said school principal.

“Trusted and caring staff trained to provide academic, social, emotional and other support to students and also help coordinate with the school day," said a YMCA of San Diego County partner.

THANK YOU

Whether it's leading a fun science experiment or helping a student with a challenging math problem, Expanded Learning Programs staff help students grow in a safe and nurturing space. We hope you keep joining us in our journey to provide students with important social-emotional development.

CONTACT US

YMCA OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S EXPANDED LEARNING PROGRAMS

4451 30th St. San Diego, CA 92116

Email: elpinfo@ymcasd.org

For more information about Expanded Learning Program, visit out site here.

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