The priority of After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles is to provide an array of services that offer significant expanded learning opportunities that contribute to reducing drug use and violence, while increasing the safety of students in the after-school hours. The program also instills in its participants a sense of belonging and responsibility, helping students become leaders and critical stakeholders of their schools and communities. Participants are provided the opportunity to explore a myriad of curricula in youth leadership and character development, health and fitness initiatives, performing and visual arts programs, hands-on technology and multimedia courses, and community activism. As a comprehensive program, it provides students with academic and homework support, utilizing state power standards in reading comprehension, arithmetic, social and physical sciences.

Our program has been recognized with several prestigious accolades in our field, including designating as a Regional Learning Center by the California Department of Education (CDE); recognition as a model program by both the California Statewide System of Field Support (a collaborative effort of after-school professionals supported by CDE) and the Center for Collaborative Solutions; and selected as one of 11 programs in California to participate in a multi-year Nutrition Education Leadership Learning Community Initiative. Through each program, we train other professionals in our field and share best practices throughout the state and nationally.

After students Countdown through the first component of the program, they Blast-Off into an array of exciting enrichment activities. Health & Fitness offerings range from traditional basketball, soccer, baseball, & football to the non-traditional skateboarding, capoiera, breakdancing, and yoga. Visual & Performing Arts include Hip Hop Dance, Fashion Design & Modeling, Aztec dancing and Urban Mural Painting. All enrichment classes include embedded academic skill development through reading, journal writing and intentional problem solving scenarios. Program leaders are aware of and address district and state content standards in all lesson plans.

With Fridays being the lowest attendance days for after-school programs across the nation, we have realized that Friday programming requires extraordinary force and planning. Even the most engaging enrichment classes cannot handle the competition that come with the end of the week. This is the time that our staff and students concentrate their efforts via weekly thematic lesson plan units or project-based activities that culminate into FreeStyle Friday.