FAQs for Families

During the school year, 5 days a week, from the end of the school day until at least 6 p.m. Some programs may also offer programming before school & during summer.

Students who are able to attend 5 days/week, every regular school day during the school year will get priority for enrollment. Elementary students may be released early with prior parent permission or sign out & stated condition for early release. Students may also leave early if the scheduled offering is completed and they have only opted into this activity. This policy has recently been updated by The California Department of Education.

No child will be denied after-school access due to an inability to pay. Many programs are free, and a sliding scale is offered for those who cannot afford program.

We offer priority enrollment, dependent upon student needs, school population, and other factors. If your child has not been granted priority enrollment, we cannot guarantee enrollment for your child. Any child that falls under one or more of the following unduplicated criteria is guaranteed a space in the after-school program. This includes any student who qualifies for Free or Reduced Price Meals (FRPM), is a Foster youth, Migrant, Unhoused, and/or English Language Learner.

Priority enrollment eligibility is determined at the site level. Priority enrollment begins in April or May, and families will be notified of enrollment in June. Non-priority enrollment begins on the first day of the following school year.

OUSD After-School Programs are accessible to all students, including those with chronic health conditions. Chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes are not a barrier to program participation. New laws now allow other staff working at school sites, in addition to school nurses, to administer medication to students dealing with chronic health conditions.

If the program is full, you will be wait listed. When a slot for your child opens up, the program will contact you.

After-school programs provide academic, enrichment, and recreation activities for youth, such as: Homework Support, Tutoring, Skill-Building, & Academic Intervention. Enrichment activities intentionally and creatively build skills that support Career Pathways, health & wellness, positive school climate, arts learning, and student engagement. 

Elementary Programs provide at least 1 hour of literacy instruction. Middle schools are highly encouraged to provide after school STEM instruction and youth leadership programming for students.

Because Homework Support is one of many activities students participate in during program, it is not a guarantee that students will finish all homework during program.

After-school program staff are experts in youth development. They are employed and trained by local community organizations. Usually our staff are college students, recent graduates, and members of the Oakland community. Organizations recruit staff in an attempt to reflect the diversity of their program’s population. Every staff member has attained fingerprinting and TB clearances. Program must maintain maximum staff to student ratio of 1:20.

OUSD provides a healthy snack to all after-school programs daily.

OUSD after-school programs are physically & emotionally safe, and youth enrolled in OUSD after-school programs report learning how to promote their own physical and emotional well-being. Youth report exercising more, feeling like a part of their school, and a majority report that after-school increases how often they talk about school with their families.  Youth report program helps them to feel good about themselves, and they report being better at saying “no” to things they know are wrong.

Youth enrolled in OUSD after-school programs have an opportunity to work and learn with many adults, such as coaches, enrichment teachers, and academic mentors. Youth report being better at getting along with adults, and are more confident about moving on to middle school, high school, and graduation. They report being better at communicating their ideas and feelings, and better at listening to other; additionally, youth report that after-school program allows them to get along better with peers.

In addition to social & emotional learning, youth enrolled in after-school programs report being more confident about school, and report building academic skills such as goal-setting & study habits. Youth report being better at overcoming difficulty, at being a leader, and at setting goals for themselves. Additionally, youth report after-school program helps them to better complete their homework, to organize their time, and to develop a sense of mastery with their skill-building.