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Emeryville rec staff outline expanded after-school programming, highlight academic supports and community partnerships
Summary
City of Emeryville staff described program additions including academic intensifiers for math and ELA, expanded middle‑school clubs, civic engagement activities, and community partnerships; presenters and committee members discussed tracking homework impact and volunteer roles.
The City of Emeryville presented an update on its after-school program, saying the free program runs Monday through Friday from school dismissal until 6:00 p.m. on every school day and serves students across grade levels.
Staff member (City of Emeryville) said the program’s “vision is [that] rec is a safe place where students have fun, learn, grow, and connect,” and described daily opening and closing circles, homework and academic time, outside play, enrichment, character development and civic engagement activities.
The presenter said the program added two academic intensifiers this year — a math intensifier and an ELA intensifier — as well as a curriculum specialist and a behavior intervention specialist to support staff and students. The update highlighted expanded middle-school offerings, including club choices, a “math intensifier” tutoring option, partnerships for body‑positive workshops with Lifelong and a boys-only group called Lions Roar and a complementary young‑women’s group called Power of the Pack.
Staff described project‑based learning that aligns after‑school activities to school‑day curriculum and said they gained access to teachers’ online platforms to better coordinate homework and lessons. The presenter also described field trips on public transit and a skate-and-art “Shred and Paint” program that received donated skateboards and matching safety gear.
Committee members asked about measuring academic impact and volunteer involvement. Susan (committee member) asked how the program could “capture how that’s made a difference in the kids that are in rec and the kids that are not in rec.” The presenter said there is an informal homework‑log process and offered to work with the district contractor to pull school‑day data and develop reports. Member Matthew asked about volunteers; the presenter said volunteers participate informally and that longer volunteer roles require TB tests and fingerprinting.
Staff gave participation and staffing details: peak enrollment this year was 92 students; the program employs nine Emeryville High School alumni, three current high‑school students, one Lifelong staff member and six shared school‑day staff. The presenter said the program is free for participating students and described several annual events — including holiday celebrations, a Valentine’s Day dance, a new inclusive “Beat by Beat” silent dance, and community events such as the city harvest festival and a parade — plus a partnership called “Spartans Helping Seniors” that connects high‑school students with senior‑center technology help.
Committee members thanked staff for the presentation and for interim updates. Staff said they will look into formalizing outcome measures and improving teacher communication about student progress.
Less critical program details included staff nicknames referenced in the presentation and a list of enrichment offerings; staff closed by inviting committee questions and feedback.
