TABLE OF CONTENTS
From Our CEO | A Shared Vision | Jill Jacobson
Spotlight on Staff | Edgar Cortez
Highlight on Specialized Student Support Services | Students Lead the Way
Highlight on Afterschool | Exciting New Beginnings & Opportunities
Highlight on ACE | Saluting ACE Initiative Schools and Site Administrators
Thank You to All Our Donors
From Our CEO:
A Shared Vision
Jill Jacobson
A shared vision...
Growing the next generation of EduCare's leaders...
Speaking with one voice...
These are some of the exciting concepts coming out of the conversations I've been having during my first two months as EduCare's Chief Executive Officer. Our Board of Directors, Leadership Team, Extended Leadership Team, Management Team, and I have been working closely as we create a plan for building a firm, sustainable foundation for continued growth and expansion.
Our Board of Directors and Leadership Team are working together to achieve our goals. Each member of the Leadership Team and many of our staff are now revitalized. Board Committees are looking forward to rolling up their sleeves at our upcoming Board Retreat in early March. I am excited for our new Board Committee, the Innovation Committee, which will support Armando Diaz’s new role as Chief Growth and Innovation Officer. The Committee will work with the Leadership team on expansion, developing new programs and services, as well as re-imagining existing programs and services in order to shepherd EduCare’s next phase of growth.
Management is energized and enthusiastic as we move into EduCare's next chapter. In addition to innovation, we will be focusing on organization-wide projects and initiatives to further strengthen EduCare’s structure and make it ready for growth. Everything we do centers on our guiding principle, Heartset® Education, which continues to inspire the innovative ideas that will invigorate and expand our programs and services. From Afterschool to ACE Programs and ACE Initiative, to Professional Development, Specialized Student Support Services, and Parenting Workshops, our shared goal is that of enhancing everything we offer our students, educators, parents, and schools.
What has become very clear to me as I settle into my new role is that the incredibly dedicated, talented, inspired people I work with have ideas that are both creative and practical. And they are all committed to working closely together to make those ideas vibrant new realities. As we continue to develop the roadmap for achieving our ambitious strategic vision plan (1,000,000 Bright Lights by 2030), we all agree that we bring the greatest innovation, inspired vision, and strength to everything we do when we do it together.
EduCare has a bright future, and I look forward to sharing our growth with you!
Spotlight on Staff:
Edgar Cortez
Advice to my younger self:
“Be nicer to yourself. If you wouldn’t say those critical words to a friend, don’t say them to yourself.”
If you want to walk away from a conversation feeling happy and uplifted, schedule a chat with Edgar!
Edgar Cortez has been with EduCare for almost nine years. Starting as an Afterschool Site Coordinator at Downtown Magnets High School, he's also worked at Lincoln and Washington Prep High Schools. Now, Edgar is one of EduCare's five Regional Managers, responsible for overseeing Afterschool Programs at seven high schools (four in Downtown Los Angeles, two in South Los Angeles, and one in Southgate). In this role, he supervises several Site Coordinators, providing training, resources, and support.
During a typical busy month, Edgar:
Visits every school twice
Holds cohort meetings, which include trainings on topics like effective budgeting, event planning, HR do's and don't's, as well as supporting staff with their specific needs and challenges
Offers opportunities to expand student enrichment activities: staff share about their activities (i.e., intro to chocolate, embroidery, resin art, candle making...). Then, by participating in new activities, fellow staff members learn how to explain it to their school staff (not to mention having a lot of fun).
Maintains an ongoing text thread with all staff, checking in regularly to address any questions or issues as they arise.
Offers mentoring for each site coordinator, helping them to grow in their chosen profession; during staff meetings, he encourages staff to practice speaking, facilitating, and presenting, and ensures that they have the resources they need to provide the best programs for their students.
His own goal is to grow in his capacity as a resource for others, whether as a trainer or as a facilitator to create a strong support network for staff. As he says, "My staff works hard; that means I need to work twice as hard!" In this light, Edgar was accepted this year as a participant in the CalSAC Trainer Network – a "training the trainers" program. CalSAC (California School Age Consortium) offers this training to increase the number of youth in California who can benefit from afterschool and expanded learning professionals. Upon the completion of the training in May, Edgar will then be certified to train more such professionals through the CalSAC Trainer Network.
Helping others comes naturally to Edgar. With a large family (four sisters and a brother, and 18 nieces and nephews ranging in age from infants to teenagers), he has lots of opportunities to help out! At Christmas, for example, it's his tradition to make Christmas cookies; in December, he and his 7-year-old niece made gingerbread people, chocolate crinkles, and peppermint cookies. And, as a passionate and talented baker himself, he is more than up to the task!
Kind, inspiring, smart, and growth-oriented, with a big vision and a heart to match – we are delighted that Edgar is part of EduCare's team!
Highlight on Specialized Student Support Services:
Students Lead the Way with Creativity and Enthusiasm
EduCare’s Specialized Student Support Services focus on case management, leadership and service learning, English language learners support, and substance abuse prevention and intervention. Our programs include TAC (Take Action Campaign), TUPE (Tobacco Use Prevention Education), LAP (Language in Action Program), CyberPatriot, and Case Management.
What is CyberPatriot? It's the National Youth Cyber Education Program, created by the Air & Space Forces Association. It is designed to inspire K-12 students to seek careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines – all critical to our nation's future.
At the center of CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, a series of online competition rounds. Teams are given a set of virtual operating systems, and are tasked with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services.
This season, 19 schools participated collectively in all competitions. And we are very excited to announce that four of our schools made it to the Semifinals!
Hamilton High School
North Hollywood High School
Lincoln High School, and
Reseda High School
As our competition season concludes, we are thrilled to transition into our first-ever Coding Program.
Congratulations, EduCare CyberPatriots!
Next up: TAC (Take Action Campaign), enthusiastically coordinated by EduCare's Angel Reyes and Interim Special Projects Coordinator Alison Andino. TAC encourages high school students to develop leadership skills by creating and coordinating projects to benefit their schools and communities. Students at North Hollywood High School organized a food drive to spread kindness and generosity.
LAP (Language in Action Program) gives afterschool students ample opportunities to strengthen English language skills by engaging in language-focused activities – improving self-confidence and increasing school involvement. EduCare's LAP coordinator is Delanie Solorio.
For just a few examples of how LAP encourages students to use their growing language skills by collaborating with classmates on projects they created:
At Augustus Hawkins High School, students concerned about plastic pollution and environmental issues created a school-wide pledge to raise awareness of these issues.
At Columbus Elementary School, students gathered donations to support their school community by assisting those in need.
At Maclay Middle School, students made a video thanking Los Angeles firefighters.
EduCare's Case Management Program focuses on the specific needs of at-risk students, providing tutoring, counseling, college guidance and resources, and more. Adriana Razo is our dedicated Case Manager at San Fernando High School, and this is her update from last November (near the end of the school year's first semester):
"The hard work and commitment of our tutors have been evident as they provide invaluable support with various tasks, including projects, homework assignments, and college guidance and resources.
"I also want to take a moment to celebrate some wonderful news about our seniors. I've had the privilege of hearing back from some of them, and I'm truly excited to share that they have received acceptance offers from the universities they applied to. This is a significant achievement, and I couldn't be more proud of their hard work and determination!"
Please note: There is no sound on this video.
Highlight on Afterschool:
Exciting New Beginnings & Opportunities
As we return from winter break, our Afterschool Programs are back in full swing, ready to make the Spring semester even more exciting and engaging for our students. From science experiments to art projects, our students will be engaged in hands-on learning that fosters creativity and critical thinking. And schools scheduled a full calendar of special events, from Valentine's Day to Black History Month and more. We’re excited to see the creativity and spirit our students will bring to these events!
Program Growth and Impact
We’re thrilled to report that for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year, we have registered 25,203 students across our afterschool programs. So far, we’ve had an outstanding attendance of over 389,062 students, demonstrating the ongoing commitment and enthusiasm of our families and communities.
Vaughn NCLC Schools – Supplemental Program in Action
Our two Vaughn Next Century Learning Center schools, MIT (Middle School for International Studies and Tourism) and VISA (Vaughn International Studies Academy), ran a Supplemental Program in January, designed to give students additional support and enrichment opportunities. The program included student mentoring as well as a variety of fun, active enrichment and sports activities. Students are staying active with cheer team, soccer, volleyball, and basketball programs, building both skills and teamwork.
Vaughn Next Century Learning Center had an absolute blast with this colorful Christmas parade!
Celebrating CyberPatriot, TAC, and LAP
Don't miss reading the highlights of these terrific student empowerment programs in the Specialized Student Support Services section of this newsletter above!
Upcoming Events & New Programs
Looking ahead, we have several exciting events and programs on the horizon:
E-Gaming: Stay tuned for fun, competitive e-gaming tournaments!
Arts Education Branch Enrichment Programs for Spring 2025: We’re offering new creative opportunities for students to explore their artistic abilities.
iDREAM Program: Our iDREAM initiative continues to provide students with transformative learning experiences.
Spring Break Program Planning: We’re busy preparing a variety of exciting activities for Spring Break.
Highlight on ACE:
Saluting ACE Initiative Schools and Site Administrators
Twelve ACE Initiative schools this school year! That means 15 fearless ACE Initiative Site Administrators, each of whom is responsible for supporting students, educators, and parents, while helping to create campus-wide communities of kindness and caring.
From assisting with college applications, to planning holiday events, to mentoring students, and so much more, we salute our ACE Initiative Site Administrators and the schools they serve!
Graciela Carrillos & Samantha Ayon | Birmingham Community Charter High School
Javier Fernandez | Cesar Chavez Learning Academies – Social Justice Humanitas Academy
Daniel Barragan & Veronica Mireles | Diego Rivera Learning Center – Communication & Technology School
Georgette Washington | Diego Rivera Learning Center – Performing Arts Community School
Taiz Bonilla-Avelar | Diego Rivera Learning Center – Public Service Community School
Daisy Vite | Amelia Earhart High School
Jacqueline Cruz | Miguel Contreras Learning Complex – School of Business & Tourism
Vianca Carchi | Mission High School
Magaly Barajas & Abigail Menjivar | South East High School
Elisa Alcala Nunez | Panorama High School
Daniel Rojo | Stoney Point High School
Lisseth Velasquez | Zane Grey High School
Thank You to All Our Donors
Thank you to all of our donors who so generously supported EduCare during our Year-End Campaign!
We are pleased to report that we received over $55,000 in support for our young people. If you would like to receive a tax-receipt letter stating your charitable contributions made in 2024, please send us an email and we will respond promptly.
#March Gladness is coming March 5!
EduCare will once again be celebrating March Gladness, sharing why we are glad to be part of the EduCare team! Students, teachers, staff, and board members will be sharing their stories as part of a month-long competition – coinciding with the March Madness basketball tournament. We invite YOU to join us and enjoy the fun!