Incentive Curriculum Program

K-12 STEAM Education

County of Los Angeles

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative

According to the Afterschool Alliance, in 2020, 607,647 kids were alone and unsupervised between 3 and 6 p.m. Still, for every child enrolled in an afterschool program, three have to wait to get into a program, leaving 3,093,561 kids waiting to participate in an afterschool program. Another factor affecting students who would like to participate in afterschool programs is their socioeconomic status, as the availability of enrichment activities is largely determined by family income, leaving children from low-income households without the chance to explore new hobbies or hone their abilities. There is a high demand for afterschool programs in California, but more affordable after school programs are needed.

Education Is Key's quarterly incentive curriculum program is designed for students age 10+. The art cohort focuses on mental health by using art to alleviate youth's daily stress to create a safe space where students learn how to care for their mental health and express it artistically. The entrepreneurship cohort focuses on educating, challenging, and inspiring students to think about their future. This cohort will help students develop their professional interests and skills to help them confidently pursue their business passions regardless of their economic status. The civic engagement cohort inspires and empowers students to promote social change and foster civic leadership to learn from each other, develop their civic skills, and collectively work towards creating positive social impact. The culinary cohort students focus on learning about healthy food, the seed-to-table process, and self-sufficiency. Students will learn how to plant vegetables and cook healthy meals, developing their motor skills and increasing their independence and confidence. Every cohort aims to equip youth with skills and education that will allow them to succeed while enjoying physical and mental health.

We envision a Los Angeles County where every student can enjoy good mental health, explore activities, and develop skills. We want to provide students with a safe space to explore and develop different skills while working on their physical and mental health. By providing students with a safe and engaging environment after school, we can reduce their involvement in risky behaviors such as substance use and violence, while simultaneously increasing attendance.The program will run three days a week, allowing students to learn about mental health, arts, become entrepreneurs, and healthy eating rather than engaging in potentially harmful activities. With this program, we can ensure that students make the most of their time after school and set themselves up for success. Our long-term goals are many with the Incentive Curriculum program. The first is to create a uniform and universal curriculum for other educators to replicate or easily adapt to their communities to bring the same benefits.

Studies have shown that afterschool programs can increase attendance, behavior, and improved coursework. Metrics that Education Is Key will track are attendance, grades, graduation rates, and socio-emotional skills.