Course selection and design
Choose from Athena’s existing programs, adapt a course for your students, or ask us to develop something around a specific goal.
Menu
California expanded learning
ELO-P Program Support for California Schools
Athena helps California schools add hands-on enrichment to before-school, after-school, summer, and intersession programs. We can provide instructors, curriculum, materials, equipment, and ongoing program support within the schedule and operating model your LEA establishes.
Athena can support an ELO-P program. The LEA remains responsible for its program plan and compliance.
What Athena can support
Athena provides enrichment within the LEA’s program plan.
Recurring enrichment
Build consistent STEM, creative, or project-based learning into after-school, summer, intersession, or other expanded-learning schedules.
Instructors
Athena recruits and supports instructors for the communities they serve, then coordinates scheduling and ongoing program guidance.
Curriculum, materials, and equipment
We provide the agreed curriculum and supplies for each program, including specialized equipment when the course requires it.
Site coordination
We work with school teams on schedules, group sizes, room and device needs, student handoffs, and the site routines that affect delivery.
Program review
Athena can use implementation notes, student work, attendance information made available to us, and partner feedback to adjust the program within the agreed scope.
Current CDE planning context
How ELO-P schedules fit together.
Current CDE guidance covers TK–6 and generally requires a combined nine hours of instructional time and in-person expanded learning on school days, along with nine hours of in-person expanded-learning opportunities on at least 30 nonschool days.
- Student eligibility
- TK–6
- School days
- Nine-hour combined day
- Nonschool days
- At least 30 days
The guidance also addresses access, staffing qualifications and ratios, attendance, meals or snacks, and transportation when a program operates away from the school site. Athena can support one or more parts of that operating plan; the LEA determines and documents the complete model.
Review current CDE ELO-P guidanceCalifornia’s 12 Quality Standards
How Athena supports the 12 Quality Standards.
California’s Quality Standards describe a shared vision across the student experience and program operations. CDE uses the standards to guide continuous improvement. These rows show how Athena can contribute within its assigned role.
01–06
Student-facing standards
Safe and Supportive Environment
Athena uses clear routines, age-appropriate expectations, and site-aligned safety procedures so students know how to participate, work together, and ask for help.
Active and Engaged Learning
Lessons keep students involved through building, testing, creating, performing, discussing, and revising.
Skill Building
Programs develop skills through sequenced projects, guided practice, feedback, and increasingly independent work.
Youth Voice and Leadership
Instructors create room for student choices, team roles, reflection, and opportunities to explain or lead parts of the work.
Healthy Choices and Behaviors
Program pacing, movement, collaboration routines, and site wellness practices support safe and positive participation.
Diversity, Access, and Equity
Athena adapts instructions, materials, grouping, and challenge level to help students with different ages, backgrounds, abilities, and prior experience participate meaningfully.
07–12
Program-level standards
Quality Staff
Athena recruits for subject knowledge and experience working with children, completes background and reference checks, and supports instructors with curriculum, materials, onboarding, and ongoing guidance.
Clear Vision, Mission, and Purpose
Before launch, Athena and the LEA define the student experience, program goals, schedule, responsibilities, and intended outcomes.
Collaborative Partnerships
Athena establishes clear district and site contacts and adjusts implementation through agreed communication and feedback channels.
Continuous Quality Improvement
Athena can review implementation notes, student work, attendance information, and partner feedback with the LEA to identify practical improvements.
Program Management
Athena coordinates instructor scheduling, curriculum delivery, materials, equipment, and issue escalation within the agreed scope.
Sustainability
Athena can build repeatable program models and plan instructor support, materials, and staffing across multiple sessions or school sites.
Instructor screening and support
Clear requirements before placement.
Athena instructors are background checked and reference checked before placement. Athena also provides curriculum, materials, onboarding, and ongoing program support. Additional training and clearances are handled as required by the state, role, or site.
When an Athena instructor is expected to count toward a required staffing ratio, Athena and the LEA confirm the applicable district-prescribed instructional-aide qualifications before placement. Current CDE guidance generally identifies a 1:20 staff-to-pupil ratio, with a 1:10 ratio for TK/K groups.
Program operations
Define the daily work before launch.
Schedule and coverage
Athena scopes its enrichment blocks around the school-day, after-school, summer, or intersession schedule established by the LEA.
Staffing and group size
The partnership plan identifies enrollment, age groups, applicable ratios, instructor qualifications, and who provides any additional program staff.
Attendance and student handoffs
Athena follows the agreed process for rosters, sign-in and sign-out, dismissal, absences, and emergency communication. The agreement states who maintains official attendance records and submits required data.
Materials and site readiness
Athena identifies what it will bring and what the site needs to provide, including rooms, tables, devices, internet access, sinks, storage, or other course-specific requirements.
Safety and site procedures
Before launch, instructors receive the relevant site procedures for arrival, dismissal, emergencies, student support, and issue escalation.
Feedback and adjustments
Athena and the site can set regular check-ins to review implementation, student participation, staffing, and changes needed for the next program period.
Who handles what
The LEA owns its ELO-P plan and compliance.
CDE requires the program plan to be approved by the LEA’s governing board in a public meeting and posted on the LEA’s website. Athena’s role is defined in the partnership agreement.
Athena’s role
- Recruit, schedule, and support Athena instructors within the contracted scope.
- Complete universal background and reference checks.
- Provide the agreed curriculum, materials, and equipment.
- Coordinate course delivery and instructor support.
- Maintain the implementation records assigned to Athena.
- Share agreed feedback and program observations.
The LEA’s role
- Determine eligibility, access, enrollment priorities, and the overall program model.
- Develop, approve, post, and maintain the ELO-P program plan.
- Confirm staff qualifications, ratios, accommodations, and district policies.
- Maintain required attendance, fiscal, audit, and reporting records unless responsibilities are expressly delegated.
- Provide or arrange required meals or snacks and off-site transportation.
- Make final compliance decisions using current guidance and appropriate advisors.
Defined together
- Program dates, hours, enrollment, and staffing.
- Rooms, devices, internet, storage, and site needs.
- Rosters, attendance workflows, data access, and privacy.
- Safety, dismissal, emergency, and communication procedures.
- The feedback and improvement process.
- A written division of operational responsibilities.
Recent program feedback
What Santa Ana students and sites reported.
Final surveys from a spring 2026 Roblox enrichment program show strong instructor and enjoyment ratings across four Santa Ana school sites.
4.4/5average student rating for friendly, professional, and engaging instructors
4.2/5average student rating for class enjoyment
100%positive site-supervisor ratings for active engagement and student impact
Student results are based on 59 final survey responses collected from April 27 to May 6, 2026. Site-supervisor results are based on 5 responses. Results describe this Santa Ana program and survey group.
Planning resources
Request the details your team needs.
ELO-P Capabilities Packet
Programs, staffing, materials, and operating options.
Instructor Screening and Safety Overview
Universal screening and the process for confirming role- and site-specific requirements.
Sample ELO-P Schedule
An example of how Athena enrichment can fit within an LEA-led expanded-learning day.
Program Operations Checklist
A launch checklist covering roles, rosters, ratios, rooms, equipment, attendance, meals, transportation, dismissal, and communication.
These resources are available by request while the downloadable packet library is being prepared.
Planning the next term?
Tell us what your schools need.
Share the grade levels, school sites, dates, approximate enrollment, and types of enrichment you are considering. We’ll help you identify a workable Athena scope.