State & City Initiatives

After School For All (AFA)
The San Francisco After School for All Initiative (AFA) is a citywide collaboration that supports the city’s diverse after school community to offer safe, quality programs for all children where activities and events are tailored to the interests and needs of local neighborhoods.  This effort is a partnership of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF), several city departments, the San Francisco Unified School District, community based organizations and foundations.  Our goal is to provide a diversity of quality after school programs for all elementary and middle school children by 2010.  To do this, the initiative will expand services, improve the quality of programs and explore system-building issues such as technical assistance, field capacity building, workforce development, and quality academic and enrichment activities.

Afterschool for All Technical Assistance Collaborative (AFA TAC) 
The Afterschool for All Technical Assistance Collaborative (AFA TAC) is a new partnership between the California School-Age Consortium, the Community Network for Youth Development (CNYD), SHPD ExCEL After School Programs, the Youth Development Peer Network (YDPN), Sports 4 Kids, and the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families (DCYF). Our vision is to create a coordinated city-wide model of technical assistance to support afterschool programs and develop a workforce of prepared, committed, stable, and supported professionals. For more information, visit the AFA TAC website.

California After School Demonstration Program
Marshall Elementary School and AP Giannini Middle School were selected to participate in the first cohort of the California After School Demonstration Program (CASDP).  Demonstration programs were selected from existing after school programs across the state that documented and demonstrated how the effective practices and strategies they have implemented resulted in improved results for students. The programs will serve as resources for effective after school program delivery, for strategies, and for operating structures that align with and extend the school day in support of increased student achievement. The Southwest Education Development Lab (SEDL) and the California Department of Education will work with programs identified through this first selection process to "pilot" the training, technical support, and development needed for effective implementation of the CASDP.  To learn more about CASDP, visit the California Department of Education website at:  http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ba/cp/

Cesar E. Chavez Afterschool Service Clubs
This year eight ExCEL Middle School After School Programs were awarded the Cesar E. Chavez Afterschool Service Club Grant through California Volunteers.  The clubs engage youth in community service projects while learning about the life and values of Cesar E. Chavez.  Participating school sites include Marina, Francisco, Horace Mann, Everett, SF Community, Martin Luther King, Jr., Willie Brown, and Visitacion Valley Middle Schools.  For more information, visit the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation website. 

Nutrition Education Leadership Learning Community (NELLC)
SFUSD ExCEL is part of the state-wide NELLC initiative.  The overall purpose of this three-year initiative are 1) to improve the health and well-being of low-income children and families by strengthening California's after school programs through development and implementation of exemplary after school practices in nutrition, physical activity, and food security, 2)  to make a new source of matching funding available to after school programs throughout California  3)  to enable the California Nutrition Network for Healthy Active Families (a division of the California Department of Health Services) to utilize after school programs as another way to reach low-income families and their children with interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity and to support increased participation in the Food Stamp Program and federal food assistance.

Physical Education Program
ExCEL ASP has recently been funding from the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) for physical activity and nutrition education promotion.  This year, the project will pilot in 15 elementary after school programs. Selected sites will receive support from outside service providers, SPARK curriculum and equipment, access to a content specialist, as well as other professional development opportunities.  The findings from this year's pilot will be used to increase physical activity and nutrition education promotion in all of our ExCEL ASP programs. For more information on PEP, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/index.html

San Francisco TEAM
ExCEL After School collaborates with the Department of Children Youth & their Families (DCYF) to implement literacy rich after school programs in each of San Francisco’s 11 supervisory districts. The San Francisco TEAM programs take place at San Francisco schools and are provided in partnership with local Community Based Organizations. Read fact sheet (pdf).