Acclaimed After-School Effort Continues Expansion

Fulfilling a pledge he made early in his administration, Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn announced Thursday that city officials and business leaders have expanded a nationally acclaimed after-school program to 101 elementary schools in the city.

Since August, 23 more schools have added classes run by LA’s BEST, a public-private partnership that offers tutoring and enrichment programs between 3 and 6 p.m. school days.

The schools selected are in low-income communities where a large percentage of the students qualify for federal lunch programs and have low test scores.

“We want to do everything we can for you today so your tomorrows can be bright,” Hahn told about 50 third-graders Thursday morning seated on benches in the quad of Arminita Elementary School in North Hollywood.

Much of the expansion was paid for by philanthropist Eli Broad, whose foundation donated $1.73 million over three years.

Broad helped raise another $1.1 million in donations to pay for the new programs.

The city contributed money from federal Community Development Block Grants.

Broad announced Thursday that he is committed to help expand the program to another 20 schools. He did not specify how much money he would give.

Broad called LA’s BEST “a proven winner” that provides academic enrichment and extracurricular activities while keeping children in a safe environment.

Hahn said during last year’s mayoral campaign that he wants to expand the program to every elementary school.

About one-third of the city’s 322 elementary schools participate in LA’s BEST, which serves 17,000 children.