YEARLONG LEARNING ACROSS LOS ANGELES

Academic Year 2023 – 2024 | 203 LA’s BEST Afterschool Sites

Afterschool Programs Across Los Angeles

During the academic year, LA’s BEST/Beyond the Bell program, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), provided enriching afterschool and morning programs in 201 schools across Los Angeles. These programs positively impacted 16,200 students, from neighborhoods spanning San Pedro to Sylmar and Venice to East LA.

Morning Programs in Schools

In 2024, LA’s BEST expanded its reach to include morning programs at 12 elementary schools, serving 200 students each day. Operating from 6:30 AM until the start of the school day, the program provides students with a nutritious breakfast and engaging enrichment activities. LA’s BEST is committed to further expanding its Before School programs in the coming year.

Summer Learning Program

During the summer of 2024, the LA’s BEST Summer Learning Program operated at 169 schools, providing 6,800 students with opportunities for growth, creativity, and discovery through dynamic educational and recreational activities.

ENRICHMENT THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Experiential learning – learning through action, experiences and intentional reflection – has always been the backbone of our enrichment programming. We are grateful for support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and the City of Los Angeles, enabling LA’s BEST to implement enrichment programs, and for our students and staff to come together and build community.

Nutrition & Wellness

The BEST Fit Department helps ensure every participating school incorporates 30 minutes of daily physical activity and that all students participate in at least one nutrition program each year. In the 2023-2024 school year, 328 staff from 186 schools participated in physical activity programs, and 386 staff from 152 schools attended nutrition workshops.

The department offers physical activity training that includes outdoor classroom management, safety, and non-elimination fitness games that emphasize teamwork and skill-building. During the summer, water games are added based on student feedback to keep students engaged in fun and active learning experiences.

In addition to physical activity, BEST Fit partners with various agencies to offer nutrition and cooking programs, such as Small Bites, Happy Healthy Me, and A Yummy Curriculum. These programs feature hands-on cooking lessons with simple, healthy recipes, and the department developed its own LA’s BEST After School Snacks recipe book.

These programs help students learn healthy habits and share them with their families, while fostering an enjoyable, educational environment.

Seasonal Sports & Dance & Drill

Approximately, 489 sites participated in the LA’s BEST seasonal sports program (Kickball, Flag Football, Basketball, Soccer, and Dance & Drill Team) over the course of the 2023-2024 school year. Please note, included in the count are sites that participated in multiple seasonal sports.

Approximately, 9,135 students participated in the seasonal sports program during the 2023-2024 school (some students may be duplicated as they participate in multiple sports). Please note, included in the count are students that participated in multiple seasonal sports.

The LA’s BEST seasonal sports program strives to provide safe, positive, and meaningful development and experiences through sports for students and sports/dance coaches alike. Through weekends sports tournaments for students and professional development opportunities for sports/dance coaches, the goal of the LA’s BEST seasonal sports program is to introduce sports, enhance overall growth and development, and to expand horizons for all participants.Through fundamental and strategic skill building, team building, and disguised learning, the LA’s BEST seasonal sports program provides opportunities for building positive relationships, making meaningful connections, community/stakeholder involvement, and social emotional learning.

Furthermore, the continuous quality improvement of the LA’s BEST seasonal sports program drives for sustainable and consistent recruitment, retention, and recognition of all students and sports coaches via Youth Voice/Choice, student leadership roles, age appropriate modifications, and announcements/resources to highlight/showcase meaningful youth participation.

“The recipes are so well planned and it makes it easier for my staff and students to create snacks that not only include fruits and vegetables but it shows them how to create a well-balanced meal.”
– Vanessa Parra, SC @ Monte Vista Elementary
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul and when you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.”
– Dance Coach
“I like coaching to teach the kids to work as a team. Apart from that, getting to experience playing against different school teams that other kids don't get the same opportunity to do.”
– Sports Coach
“I like to dance because I can express myself in any way I want through my body with no words.”
– Student

Literacy & Academic Support

The LA’s BEST Young Authors Program, inspired by Alma Flor Ada’s and F. Isabel Campoy’s work on Transformative Education, empowers students in grades UTK–6th to discover “the author within.” Through this journey, students develop self-efficacy, gain a deeper appreciation for diversity, and cultivate a sense of agency to make the world a better place.

The program has been successfully implemented at over 190 LA’s BEST sites. Post-program surveys reveal significant outcomes:

7 out of 10 students reported learning more about themselves.
• Many students felt they improved their reading and writing skills in English.
• An overwhelming 75.2% said they enjoyed being part of the program.

Overall, the Young Authors Program helps students build confidence in their writing abilities and take pride in publishing their own books.

STEM & Digital Learning

The Droids Robotics program, which began in 2014, has expanded significantly since its inception, with 18 sites and 208 students participating this year. Additionally, 32 other sites have attended robotics trainings, teaching students the fundamentals of coding and programming their robots. Over the years, the program has grown in reach, from serving just 8 to 12 sites, to now 18. The expansion has also involved twice-monthly meetings with staff to develop their skills and foster a collaborative community, enhancing both their technical abilities and teamwork.

The program has seen significant growth in both participation and staff involvement, with teachers becoming increasingly engaged in learning complex robotics skills to benefit their students. Staff members work together to support one another, creating a strong sense of community. As Caiden Valadez, a staff member at Latona Elementary, shared, “My students who joined the Droids program at first were nervous and didn’t know if they were going to be able to code their robots. A few weeks later, some new students joined our club, and those same students who were once nervous about coding were teaching the new students!” This shift highlights the program’s positive impact on student confidence and peer teaching.

Arts

600 students participated in 8 visual & performing arts residences

The Theatre Phoenix program has had a significant impact on over 600 students across 8 schools through residencies and assemblies focused on theatre and improvisation. Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, the program has evolved to meet students’ changing needs, offering 10-week residencies and assemblies that teach theatre etiquette, improvisation, and creative storytelling. The program fosters self-expression and builds confidence, while helping students develop important life skills like collaboration and problem-solving. Many students have formed new friendships and found a positive outlet for self-expression, with one student citing her Theatre class as the highlight of her day amid personal struggles. Theatre Phoenix’s long-standing collaboration with the arts program has proven to be a vital and transformative experience for students.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

In its inaugural year, the Workforce Development department has made considerable progress in refining recruitment processes, developing staff resources, and fostering key partnerships to enhance both the educational and professional growth of its team. A notable achievement this year was the successful implementation of the Student Worker programs.

Over 200 high school students gained invaluable real-world work experience through this initiative. Juniors and seniors from over 30 LAUSD high schools supported over 40 LA’s BEST sites, contributing to afterschool and summer programs by assisting with homework, engagement activities, and ensuring the safety of participants.

In addition to its own Part-Time Program Helper position, LA’s BEST also partnered with programs such as the District’s Office of Transition Services, LAUSD Linked Learning, and the Mayor’s Office Student to Student Program to strengthen these efforts.

Staff Development

The Staff Development Department’s team of seven Learning Facilitators has delivered comprehensive training to nearly 900 LA’s BEST Program Workers through the 5-day New Staff Orientation (NSO) held between July 2023 and June 2024. Originally conducted in-person, the NSO transitioned to virtual formats during the pandemic and has since returned to in-person sessions. The training covers LA’s BEST values, program structure, safety procedures, and strategies for creating positive learning environments, while also addressing essential topics like self-care, employee burnout, and psychological first aid.

This year’s annual Professional Development Day (ProDay), held at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, brought together nearly 1,000 staff members for a day of growth and learning. Attendees participated in more than 35 diverse workshops, exploring topics such as STEM programming, classroom management, resume building, mental health awareness, fitness, digital learning, songwriting, social-emotional learning, team building, and resiliency.

 

Leadership Development

In the 2023-2024 school year, the Leadership Department facilitated a robust training program, supporting staff across all levels. A total of 87 participants engaged in the LA’s BEST in ME Mentor Cohort and Institute. Additionally, 14 APS Meetings trained between 55-70 participants per session on topics such as school openings, threat assessments, and programming at LAB. Regional meetings saw significant attendance, with 300 participants at “Breaking the Silence” and three joint meetings each. Furthermore, four regional meetings attracted 70 participants per location, covering critical topics like “The Big Picture” and “Fostering Meaningful Connections.”

Specialized training sessions expanded further, with 55 participants in “I Can, You Can, We Can,” 45 in “Developing Little Minds,” and 60 trained on incident reporting. Summer Huddles reached 300 participants via Zoom. The department also prioritized organizational growth, hosting anti-racism workshops (47 participants) and additional “Breaking the Silence” sessions (55 participants) for departmental staff. These efforts underscore LA’s BEST’s commitment to professional development and community impact.

“We were able to bring a lot of our ideas to life, but never did I feel alone or without the staff's presence. They treated me as their equal. This might be something I want to do in the future.”
– Emma Gonzalez, Student Worker
“The fact that we provide a five-day training to make sure staff are equipped to work at sites really speaks to the value we have for our front-line staff.”
– Erika Dandridge, Director of Staff Development

PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS

Since our founding by Mayor Tom Bradley in 1988, LA’s BEST has built our foundational partnerships with the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District — allowing us to grow from 10 schools to more than 200. During that time, LA’s BEST has not only expanded access and quality within our own program, but also served as a leading voice in advocacy efforts to bring afterschool programs to more children across the state and country.

This year, LA’s BEST continued connecting with City and State officials to build engagement for the next chapter of our work. One major victory was the Governor and Legislature’s agreement to maintain $4 billion in ongoing funding for expanded learning despite a significant budget deficit, ensuring no cuts to these critical programs. To support this effort, LA’s BEST brought a group of 12 staff members to Sacramento, joining over 500 participants.

Despite these successes, the organization faced a significant cut to City funding as a result of the budget deficit, impacting salaries, transportation, supplies, and staff training. However, this challenge strengthened our resolve to deepen engagement with the City. Check out President & CEO Michele Broadnax testifying at City Council and former Council President Paul Krekorian visiting LA’s BEST.

 

 


LA’s BEST 2024 Executive Summary:

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LA’s BEST
200 N Spring St  |  Los Angeles, CA 90012