Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) are after school, before school, or summer programs for children ages 5-18.

These programs create environments outside of the classroom that foster growth, personal development, and further education of children and young adults. The most successful of these tie directly back to work done in the classroom.

In your community, these programs can improve school attendance and performance, provide greater stability in families, and even prevent crime.

Extended Learning Opportunities enjoy tremendous public support, as well as support from educators and others committed to the positive development of children and young adults.

We hope you find this site useful for beginning an ELO program in your community.

Formal enrollment is very important to the safety and sensitivity of programs. It is essential for programs to have the most up to date information on children. For safety purposes, it is important to have contact information for those authorized by the parent or legal guardian to pick up the child and to have permission to transport in case of an emergency.

Enrollment time is also a great way to meet parents and find out information about the child’s interests, values, and strengths. It also allows administrators to talk with parents about the program’s mission, policies, procedures, and set the stage for future communication.

Drop-in programs are difficult to run safely. A program must be able to staff adequately for the number of children attending each day, and know where children are and exactly when the program is responsible for the children. Programs for older children can sometimes operate effectively under these constraints, but clear rules and understanding of responsibility must exist between the program, the parent, and the child.

Many programs base their sliding scale or fee waivers on the federal poverty guidelines. Often programs subsidize the costs for families earning below 120% of the federal poverty level, and may apply a sliding payment scale for families up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Most programs ask for pay stubs and divorce/child support documents and/or copies of recent IRS forms to determine family income and number of dependents.

Programs should have clear policies on transportation. It is best not to allow staff to transport children in private vehicles unless parental permission and proof of insurance for the staff member are on file, and the ELO’s insurance company has approved the staff person as an allowable driver.

Clear policies must also be in place on car safety, number of children per vehicle, and what first aid supplies must go with the group. Enrollment/contact information and permission to transport must be with the group at all times.

Policies should be in place that limit access to the site by strangers and for identifying strangers within minutes of their arrival. Parents should have unlimited access to the site.

Policies should also address violence by staff, parents, children, and others. Programs should follow licensing regulations on safety and supervision as well as on fire and tornado drills. Other preventative measures should include drills and policies practiced with children regarding dangerous intruders, what to do when children see a dangerous weapon, and fire prevention as well as preventive work on conflict resolution, respect, and communication issues.

Out-of-School Time Project in Ohio 614-224-0222 x 160

National Institute on Out-of-School Time http://www.niost.org/

What are your motives for starting an ELO? What will your ELO offer that children in your community need? Before you open the doors of your ELO, consider any elements that may be wanting in the lives of the children of your community.

http://nrc.uchsc.edu/ National Resource Center for Health and Safety in ChildCare offers links to documents in Ohio law that regulate health and safety in childcare. A document entitled, Stepping Stones to Using Caring for Our Children discusses safety policies and practices, building safety, staff training and policy, and infection control.

http://esl.about.com/homework/esl/index.htm?COB=home&PID=2785 is an online source for information about teaching and learning English as a second language.

Studies show that the most successful ELOs reinforce the work children do in the classroom.

To make the ELO-classroom connection, be sure to get local schools involved in your program. Meet with school officials on a regular basis. Include overlapping ideas from school curricula in ELO curricula. This reinforcement helps to improve test scores and enhance learning.

Consider the following ideas as possible ways to tie school work to the components of your after school program:

http://esl.about.com/homework/esl/index.htm?COB=home&PID=2785 is an online source for information about teaching and learning English as a second language.

http://www.youthlearn.org/ YouthLearn has resources and tools for integrating technology into out of school programs. Includes curricula and examples.

http://www.frac.org/ Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a leading national organization working to improve public policies to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States. FRAC’s site offers information about federal nutrition programs for adults and children.

The connection between the children enrolled in your ELO and their family life can be made most effectively through parental involvement. Some ideas for getting parents on board:

• Begin a parent advisory group
• Invite parents to share their skills or speak about their careers with your ELO group
• Promote a parent volunteer program
• Hold regular family activities (like monthly dinners) at your site

For other ideas, see these links:

Location, location, location - where you hold your ELO will play a large part in its success. Here are some ideas for possible sites:

http://www.bgca.org/clubs/ Boys and Girls Clubs of America

Other searches could include city parks and recreation departments, Arab-American community centers, settlement houses, and Latino community centers

Quality staffing is crucial. As the "face" of your ELO your staff will set the tone for your program. Sources for finding staff are as follows:

Seniors for Schools focuses the resources and talents of older volunteers on helping children in need of extra literacy assistance to read independently by the end of the third grade. This demonstration initiative currently has offices in Columbus and Cleveland:

ELOs won’t succeed if no one knows about you! Some ways to get the word out:

• Post information at local schools, libraries, and churches and have information about your ELO added to their newsletters
• Hold an informational meeting at a local church or school
• Offer to speak about your program at local community service agencies meetings (e.g., at Lions Clubs, Kiwanis, etc.)
• Contact your local newspaper and find out what reporter covers education in your community. Describe your program to the reporter, and ask him or her to write a story about your ELO. Invite the reporter to your ELO to see your work first-hand.
• Ask your funders for their ideas
• Contact local advertising or public relations agencies for in-kind assistance

How well is your ELO serving the children in your community? Answering this question will provide valuable information for staff, funders, community leaders, the media, and others who are interested in your progress.

Some ideas on determining the quality of your program are as follows:

• Ask children and parents involved in the program to answer questions about the services and programs provided by your ELO
• Contact a local university or research organization for help in evaluating your program
• Be sure to keep track internally of anything that happens that was unexpected and positive

Your ELO will need the support of federal, state, and private funders and partners to reach its full potential. Here is where to find the help you need.

http://www.state.oh.us/odjfs/rfp/ Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Lists requests for proposals (RFPs) from ODJFS

http://www.unitedway.org/ will help you to find the location of your local United Way agency

Ashland County Community Foundation
P.O. Box 733
Ashland, OH 44805
Telephone: (419) 281-4733
Contact: Lucille G. Ford - Pres.

http://www.columbusfoundation.org/ The Columbus Foundation

The Springfield Foundation
4 W. Main St., Ste. 425
Springfield, OH 45502-1323
Telephone: (937) 324-8773
Contact: Robin Atwood Pfeil - Exec. Dir.
Additional Info: FAX: (937) 324-1836

Greater Springfield Development Foundation
2525 N. Limestone St., No. 101
Springfield, OH 45503

Toledo Community Foundation Inc.
608 Madison Ave., Ste. 1540
Toledo, OH 43604-1151
Telephone: (419) 241-5049
Contact: Pam Howell-Beach - Dir.

The Youngstown Foundation
P.O. Box 1162
Youngstown, OH 44501
Telephone: (330) 744-0320
Contact: G.M. Walsh - Exec. Dir.

http://www.aecf.org/ Annie E. Casey Foundation

http://www.connectforkids.org/ Benton Foundation’s KidsCampaigns

http://www.mott.org/ Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

http://www.wallacefunds.org/ Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund

http://www.emkf.org/ Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Consider approaching local businesses, universities, and the community affairs departments of local corporations for donations of:

• Goods and services
• Staffing assistance
• Project evaluation
• Fundraising assistance or grants

In some cases, funders need to know that a need for ELO programs exists. The studies below provide carefully researched proof.

Child-Care Patterns for School-Age Children with Employed Mothers," an investigation of the different types of child care arrangements, including unsupervised "self-care" that has school-age children home alone after school without supervision or structured activities.

Learn from the leaders in ELO. The following programs from across the United States have demonstrated what ELOs can achieve.

In September 1988, the City of Los Angeles took a bold step outside of traditional city business to create an innovative after school program to address the alarming rise in street gangs, school dropouts and drug use in communities where children lacked adequate adult supervision. The program, called LA's BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), approaches inner-city children as resources to be developed rather than problems to be solved. From its original 10 sites, LA's BEST has grown to serve over 13,000 students in 76 elementary schools.

In 1998, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino raised the City’s commitment to after-school programming and created the Boston 2:00-to-6:00 After-School Initiative to help expand after-school programs in every neighborhood. Together with community, school, and government partners, the Initiative seeks to ensure that from the end of the school day until 6:00 p.m., Boston children have access to high-quality, affordable, safe, and engaging after-school opportunities that enhance their learning and overall development. As of September 2000, 66 schools - more than 50 percent of the City of Boston’s elementary and middle schools - operated full-time after-school programs.

Located at 56 centers in areas of Columbus, Ohio, with dense poverty, the Youth Development Program serves communities that are over 80% minority, with 96% of the households living at or below 185% of the poverty rate. This program relies heavily on uniting funding streams and strong collaborative partnerships to feed and provide health, social services, educational, and recreational enrichment activities to approximately 1,000 children daily, and an average of 2,500 children ages 6-18 per month.