President’s
Message:

All the Joys of Summer

Stu Semigran

Summer can be a wonderful time for joy, laughter, exploration, and learning for our children. It's a time to reconnect, to re-socialize, to enjoy the outdoors and one another; to uncover new interests and make new friends. It's a time for them to truly begin to heal from any lingering pandemic-related trauma and pain; to experience the kindness of caring adult mentors; and to explore their natural passion and eagerness for learning.

This summer, EduCare’s amazing staff (in public schools throughout Los Angeles) demonstrated their dedication to thousands of young people – who benefitted from a summer of joy, fun, and learning. You are warmly invited to look at the shining faces in the photos here, knowing that a happy, healthy child becomes a curious and engaged student.

We extend our gratitude to partnering school staff, generous philanthropy sponsors, and individual donors – all of whom have played essential roles in lifting our children's spirits and advancing their health and learning this summer. Fun, joy, and play, combined with friendship and exciting learning adventures, has been a successful pathway to nurture our children's well-being. And of course, we thank EduCare's enthusiastic staff, who created a wonderful Heartset Summer of joy and learning in 2022!

EduCare's Summer Programs

This summer, EduCare's camps and programs served more than 7,000 elementary and high school students at 54 school sites across Los Angeles Unified  School District and Lynwood Unified School District!

In addition to participating in a wide array of fun, enriching programs on their school sites, young people explored and experienced many of the richly varied learning opportunities that Los Angeles has to offer – from the Los Angeles Zoo to the California Science Museum, and from college field trips to playtime and service projects at local beaches and community parks. 

News from
the Field: ACE Programs

ACE Initiative Bridge Readies 9th Graders for High School

Throughout the summer, EduCare continued to weave in social-emotional development education. Our students honed their communication skills, developed self-confidence, and formed meaningful friendships and connections. In just one example of this, our Achievement and Commitment to Excellence (ACE) Initiative staff led the entire incoming 9th grade class at Birmingham High School – a total of over 800 students! – in ACE Workshops designed to support them in a successful entry to their high school experience.

News from
the Field: Afterschool Programs

Discovering the Joy of the Outdoors

A dozen young women from Estéban Torres High School (ETHS) and Diego Rivera Learning Complex (both part of the Los Angeles Unified School District [LAUSD]) went on their first-ever camping trip at the end of June. Their destination? Circle X Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains, where for two nights they slept under the stars (and, thanks to park staff members, learned how to identify summer constellations) and enjoyed delicious meals – including Nutella s'mores – prepared in a makeshift kitchen.

Sarah Hernandez, EduCare's Assistant Site Coordinator for Afterschool Programs at ETHS, accompanied the students. It was her first time camping, as well, so she modeled the spirit of exploring new experiences. LAUSD's Beyond the Bell provided backpacks, binoculars, waterproof cameras, and more, leaving everyone free to just have fun in the coastal mountains.

While camping presented some challenges ("No showers!"), following the trip every single student said that they loved the experience. They felt more confident and secure, they loved working as a team, and they made new friends.

In addition to introductory astronomy, there were hikes, a beach excursion, bird and plant identification (it's handy to know what poison ivy looks like), journaling, the history of the park itself (did you know you can still see evidence of fire from years ago?), friendship bracelets, and lots and lots of time to talk and share stories before falling soundly asleep in comfy sleeping bags.

This was just one of EduCare's many field trips this summer. It's a joy to bring new experiences to students, and we are grateful to LAUSD's Beyond the Bell Branch and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area for making this adventure such a wonderful one!

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Spotlight
on Staff

Brianna Zavala

Enthusiastic. Warm. Incredibly organized. These are just a few of the words describing Brianna Zavala, Special Projects Coordinator for EduCare.

Brianna grew up in the San Fernando Valley, attending San Fernando High School where she participated in ACE Workshops – making her a former EduCare student herself. She was reintroduced to EduCare just before graduating from UCLA, when she applied for the Special Programs Assistant job. And she was happy to return to the Valley, with its sense of open space and somewhat less hectic pace.

Now, five years later, she has been involved with just about every aspect of EduCare's Special Projects, working closely with staff at Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD's) Beyond the Bell (BTB) to manage several vibrant learning and enrichment programs with EduCare and other partnering organizations. In Brianna's case, she is most closely involved with the Language in Action Program (LAP), supporting English Language Learners in 24 schools throughout LAUSD. Most of them are EduCare schools, where LAP is integrated into Afterschool Programs throughout the year. (Fun fact: Brianna was directly involved in taking LAP to a virtual environment following the pandemic school shutdown, and despite all the potential issues found that it was possible for LAP to not only survive, but thrive.)

However, Brianna has been involved at one time or another with virtually all Special Projects, from AFHC (Advocates for Healthy Choices) to TUPE (Tobacco Use Prevention Education), to TAC (Take Action Committee) and MTAC (Middle School Take Action Committee). She knows just about everybody on every team, whether they are Afterschool Program site coordinators, BTB team members, or team members from partnering organizations. It's a busy week for Brianna – visiting campuses where LAP is offered, getting to meet students, and providing support where needed, then meeting with team members to set up lesson plans for coming weeks.

She loves working with LAP facilitators, and loves meeting the students: "They have a real passion for learning!"

With such a busy time, traveling quite literally across the Los Angeles Basin to visit so many school sites, she doesn't have much time to read. She listens to podcasts instead, with Armchair Expert a favorite.

Brianna, with your clear love of your students, your dedicated teamwork, and your thoughtful coordination of every aspect of LAP, you are a valued member of our stellar EduCare team!

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Thanking Supporters

EduCare Ambassadors

To honor our generous friends and supporters who give every month to support our students, EduCare recently launched a monthly giving group, the EduCare Ambassadors. We are so grateful when our Ambassadors' monthly contributions arrive, creating a significant and sustaining impact on the lives of our students. Ambassadors receive special recognition for their support as well as a small gift.

Click here to learn more about joining the EduCare Ambassadors with your monthly gift of $20 (or more!).

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Social Justice Humanitas Academy
3-Day ACE Workshop Advancd (10th Grade) | August 16-18

Publication, Stu Semigran's New Book
Heartset Education: A Way of Living and Learning
Coming Early Fall

San Fernando Middle School Institute of Applied Media
3-Day ACE Workshop (6th Grade) | September 27-29

Lights on Afterschool
Nationwide | October 20

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Community Calendar