Californias Expanded Learning Opportunities Program is a chance to truly reimagine what out-of-school time can be for studentsnot just in California, but across the country.
I spent more than two decades in the public education system. Unbeknownst to me, my years as a school psychologist and district leader, paired with my expertise in learning and child well-being, were preparing me for a specific challenge and opportunityone that I left the district to pursue.
In the new world of expanded learning opportunity programs, I joined as the company was responding to the requests of district partners by moving beyond recess and lunch activities to develop and provide after-school programs.
The expanded learning challenge
The inequities for students across California and country are indisputable, and although the pandemic didnt create these conditions, it certainly cast a spotlight on them.
While educators and administrators are making Herculean efforts to articulate universal standards and implement best practice so each student has a meaningful education, it remains true that a childs educational experience and outcome is most reliably predicted by their zipcode and socio-economic demographics.
In my experience, I found that school districts often lacked reliable funding sources and were left frustrated by the complexity of the operating systems. I saw many well-designed plans and initiatives stifled by red tape.
By design, the traditional structures of public education prioritized adherence to standardization and compliance over progress and innovation. For many students, especially the most vulnerable, this was particularly harmful.
The expanded learning opportunity
Despite these conditions, there is clear evidence to the transformative potential of public education. For historically marginalized youth in particular, the advancements in trauma-informed education, culturally responsive teaching and restorative practices have made their way into classrooms and schools.
Advances in neuroscience and the correlation between childhood adversity and behavior has created a shift in philosophy. All educators can attest to the power of safe and predictable relationships. Having just one trusted adult at school can change the trajectory of a childs life.
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Building on Californias past success leveraging high-quality afterschool programs, Gov. Gavin Newsom made history with the introduction of the. This was monumental, in part, due to the significant budget allocation. The recent release of the governors 2025-26 budget plan not only sustained the program’s funding but proposed to increase it to $4.4 billion.
Equally important were the guidelines articulated by the education legal code. For those familiar with ed code, what was and was not included in the language revealed a roadmap to address the systemic inequities of public education.
Two examples are the focus on unduplicated students and the mandate to develop programs that are not an extension of instructional time, but rather, opportunities to engage pupils in enrichment, play, nutrition and other developmentally appropriate activities.
I cant think of a time in my professional life when there has been an opportunity like this.
The need for a change in mindset
For expanded learning to meet its potential, educators and administrators will have to redefine success. Past practice dictated that districts tether programmatic impact and student potential and worth to academic test scores, behavioral compliance and attendance. This default perspective warrants revisiting.
How districts collect data predicts how they design programs and how they reflect students’ value. Should districts rely solely on these same measures to assess the impact of expanded learning, they run the risk of building a nine-hour school day of traditional academic instruction. Most importantly, they lose the opportunity to create different spaces of learning, where all students find success and belonging.
Serving in a community-based organization during this time of growth has given me insight into the power of partnerships in child-centered innovation. Through collaboration with our district partners, we can serve as an extension of their efforts: co-designing, piloting and scaling programs. Like expanded learning, collaboration creates new possibilities.
Call to action
My transition from district leader to community partner in the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program era has challenged me to re-examine what I know about education and steeled my belief that equity lies at the intersection of school and innovation.
To my fellow educators, I encourage you to think beyond the traditional boundaries of what youve been taught. Whether youre working within a school district, a community-based organization or in another capacity around the country, I offer the following advice:
- Start with students. Begin by learning each childs name, face and story. Build spaces of belonging where all students have mirrors and windows to see themselves and learn about others. To build these spaces, you need staff who see their role as one of mentorship and shared ownership. These spaces are built for and with students.
- Ground the work. Rely on the existing body of research showing that high-quality afterschool programs result in improved traditional metrics like attendance, discipline and academic performance. Leverage the wisdom and guidance of the California Department of Educations 12 Quality Standards, the Science of Learning and Development, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Universal Design for Learning to create high-quality programs after school.
- Create new measurements of success. If success has proven to be elusive during the school day, capitalize on the flexibility of expanded learning, change the context and put it within reach. Resist the temptation to default to how you have told the story of success and impact in the past. Consider the power of storytelling through ethnographic and phenomenological studies and other means of conveying , to elevate voices and share the impact to drive systemic change.
The story of expanded learning is in its early chapters, but it already has momentum. Change may be incremental, but I believe the movement can maintain forward motion one child and one relationship at a time.
