It is our firm belief that every child has a need and right to participate, in the presence of a responsible, caring adult, in engaging activities that support achievement and promote social, emotional, and physical development beyond the regular school day. Beyond the Bell ensures that all children and in the Los Angeles Unified School District have access to high quality, safe, and supervised education, enrichment, and recreation programs that engage and inspire learning.
Since the early 1900s, Youth Services has provided a safe place for students during the critical hours after school at no cost to families. Historically, the program has provided supervision of organized games and activities in a recreational setting for those students who drop-in to the program. The Beyond the Bell – Youth Services program is a permissive program. Students sign-in and leave the program of their own volition. Children are expected to conduct themselves appropriately and may lose the opportunity to participate if their behavior is disruptive.
Youth Services currently operates after school playground programs at over 600 elementary, middle, and high schools and serves over 42,000 children daily. The goals of the program are to provide wholesome, supervised enrichment, fitness, and other sports activities in safe neighborhood environments. The program emphasizes physical fitness that develops basic movement skills, strong and healthy bodies, teamwork, sportsmanship, cooperative social skills, and activities that reinforce the skills learned in the regular instructional program. The tenets and teaching model of the national CHARACTER COUNTS program is implemented to instill and reinforce the back-to-basics effort to build good character in our youth. Additionally, the Youth Services program provides nutrition, fitness, and enrichment activities that best meet the needs of the participants including targeted populations of foster youth, low income, and English learners. Organized activities promote good-health and self-esteem. The importance is placed on teaching youth to make informed decisions on healthy food options and to engage in daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.
A daily “homework time” is scheduled on each Youth Services After School Program site. Students are provided a designated area and time (often the last hour of the program) to work on their homework. Staff will help students to stay on task and ensure the homework is available for parents and guardians to check and review with their children.
Staff is trained in restorative justice techniques to assist students in resolving conflicts and to provide students strategies they can use to foster positive peer relationships.
The elementary school program is available for elementary school students in grades second through fifth/sixth. The middle school program is provided for students in grades sixth through eight. Students must be able to participate independently in an environment of general supervision. They need to be able to arrive and leave the program at their own discretion and with the direction provided by their parent/guardian. The student/participant must live in the residential area or attend another LAUSD school, i.e. magnet students, etc. Note: Independent charter and private school students are not eligible.
The Youth Services After School Program operates on school days from school dismissal until 6:00 p.m. Parents and guardians must arrange ahead of time for how their child will be reunited with them at the conclusion of the program. Any child not picked-up or allowed to walk home on their own prior to the conclusion of the program is considered “unattended” and supervising personnel will begin “late child” procedures. If attempts to reunite the child with an authorized adult fail, supervising personnel will contact the Local Law Enforcement Agency for assistance and to take custody of the child. Failure to consistently arrange for appropriate supervision of your child by the conclusion of the program will result in the student losing the privilege of participating in the program.
In order for a student to be approved to participate, the “Before and After-School Program Application/Agreement” must be completed and returned to the Beyond the Bell – Youth Services staff member on-site.
For emergency purposes, parents/guardians are required to complete and maintain up-to-date telephone numbers and contact information.
The daily program may include various sport and game activities, including:
- Basketball
- Kickball
- Softball
- Soccer
- Handball
- Flag Football
- Volleyball
- Table Games
- Board Games
- Intramural Tournaments
- Drill Team
- Arts and Crafts
- Homework time
Collaboration and partnerships with various agencies and organizations, public and private, profit and non-profit, have resulted in substantial benefits to our children. Numbered among our generous partners in such collaboratives are:
- LA84 Foundation
- LAUSD Food Services
- LAUSD Nutrition Network
- Five-a-Day Nutrition
- Healthy Start Program and Healthy Start Run
- Los Angeles Recreation and Parks
- Marathon Kids
