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The hallmark of afterschool programs is to combine playful, interactive curriculum with academic core standards. However, relevant curriculum specific to afterschool is not always available. Appealing to the interests of students and the need for academic alignment is a constant challenge. After discussing lesson planning gaps with coordinators throughout California, Central Valley Afterschool Foundation (CVAF) has come up with a solution.
CVAF is now offering simple, yet comprehensive, curriculum that includes lessons specifically designed for after school practitioners. With limited resources, time and staff members, afterschool coordinators say they need curriculum that is fresh, creative and academically integrated to ensure students are stimulated, learning, and aligned with California state standards.
“After looking through it and knowing how afterschool programs have to coordinate with the standards, I thought yeah, this is something we need to use, “said Colleen Gallardo, afterschool coordinator at Centerville Elementary school in the Sanger Unified School District.
Gallardo is an eight-year afterschool veteran who started using the CVAF curriculum last year for the 100 students who attend her program.
Mandy Chacon, afterschool program director for Sanger Unified School District (SUSD) says the curriculum is a wonderful supplement to their program. Chacon, whose district hosts more than 1600 students afterschool, adds that the afterschool coordinators at her sites like the lessons because they are easy to use and comprehensive.
“We wanted to develop innovative, experiential lessons for afterschool students that have a lot of intention for academic rigor,” said Dr. Kimberley Boyer, CVAF’s executive director.
Boyer, who comes from a teaching background, and her team created the unique curriculum after a series of strategic meetings and observations with various afterschool coordinators throughout the Central Valley. Created last year and piloted at 13 schools in SUSD, Boyer says the new curriculum offers afterschool programs one year of lesson plans. The curriculum is now being used in more than 50 schools, and 12 school districts that include Los Banos Unified School District, Fresno Unified School District and Sanger Unified School District, as well as the Fresno County Office of Education and the Stanislaus County Office of Education.
Lessons plans are geared for kindergarten through eighth grade students and include five lessons per month. The subject matters vary, ranging from travel, to space exploration and music appreciation. Lessons are usually 60 minutes in length and provide suggested extensions for English Language Learners, nutrition and fitness, STEM learning, and cultural awareness. The CVAF team is in the process of expanding curriculum offerings to include full units on integrated culinary arts and dance.
According to Gallardo, her students recently worked on a lesson about dinosaur fossils and it was a huge hit.
“Seeing their faces after they made their fossils was priceless,” Gallardo said. “They wore their safari hats, we talked about carnivores and omnivores, and we are now planning a trip to the Fossil Discovery Center of Madera County. If it wasn’t for [the lesson] I wouldn’t have thought of the museum.”
Boyer knows that many practitioners feel the pressure to make connections to various state standards as well as student subgroups. The task of creating comprehensive lesson plans can be quite daunting. So, in addition to the lesson plans, CVAF offers consultation services, trainings and coaching support to program leaders. For more information, contact Dr. Kimberley Boyer at
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Download sample curriculum here:
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