DOWNEY — The popular after-school music and activity programs for Downey elementary school students are another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

Participation in the extracurricular classes, which had grown to over 2,000 students in just three years, plummeted this fall to only 115 attendees according to Laura Hurtado, Director of Programs for the Downey Foundation of Educational Opportunities (DFEO).

“We went from 13 elementary schools having possibly four to five classes each, to one class [in some subjects] for the entire district,” Says Hurtado. “So, it’s been a very significant cut for us.”

DFEO, known for its small-group violin and guitar lessons, was founded in 2017 by PTA parent Linda Saldana, current Executive Director, as a way to make weekly, affordable music lessons available to all students—even first-graders.

“I am passionate about music and the arts,” says Saldana, whose three children all play an instrument. “I wanted all children to have this opportunity.”

Parents pay a weekly fee for the small group lessons that include child-size violins. Classes are held at school sites, music instructors are college students who follow a set curriculum, and community organizations provide additional financial support.

The response from area parents was so positive that the program expanded to include visual arts and classes for soccer and basketball skills.

The ninety-five percent drop in student participation this fall is not surprising given that Downey Unified School District campuses remain closed for in-person instruction until the health crisis abates.

Rather than suspend its program completely during the pandemic, DFEO chose to resume classes this September in an online format similar to that of the District’s.

Aided by a grant from LA County Department of Arts and Education, the non-profit actually added classes designed to meet the needs of families struggling from the circumstances presented by the pandemic.

Hurtado describes a fitness class created with smaller students in mind for parents who “wanted their children to be able to move and exercise while being quarantined and distance learning at home.” A ukulele class was also added to the early music program. And instead of SAT classes, DFEO offers tutoring for small groups of three to five students (elementary through high school).

Altogether, there are currently twelve classes covering a wide range of activities listed on the DFEO website. In addition to music and sports, online programs via Zoom include theater, dance, and visual arts.

Saldana, whose eight-year-old participates in a basketball skills class, encourages families to consider some of the after-school classes in their new format.

“It gives them [the students] one more thing to do and look forward to. It’s not sitting on your bottom writing,” she explains.

“We were able to pilot this during the summer,” says Hurtado, “and we received over a hundred students and that has been consistent now in the fall.”

Given that DUSD students are currently receiving all of their school instruction via distance-learning, DFEO incorporated some beneficial design changes into its programs.

Smaller Class Sizes

“We were able to cut the classes in half so that the quality of the class remains the same,” explains Hurtado, “and all of the students still have an opportunity to ask their questions, talk to the teacher, as well as each other.”

Downey sixth-grader Deven Anderson re-enrolled for DFEO’s soccer skills class this school year, even though it is now on Zoom. Deven says his goal is to play soccer for Doty Middle School when DUSD campuses reopen.

During school hours, Deven alternates time spent video-conferencing with his teacher and asynchronous learning activities which he does at his own pace. After school, the DFEO soccer program involves more computer time, but Deven is physically moving and he can see other participating students in real time as well as his coach.

“I have to give the kids credit,” says his mother Paula Paz, who works at home while also keeping an eye on the distance-learning regimen of her four children. “As adults, we may not always realize that they’re doing as much as we are. They are little people with big emotions.”

All DFEO programs are operating, says Hurtado, with at least one class for each subject. Some of the older programs such as violin and guitar, which are now entering their fourth year, have multiple classes.

Fees remain the same, but Hurtado says, “We still have limited financial aid for those families who want to participate and could not afford it for any reason.”

Hurtado says it is not too late for interested families to register their students. Additional students who sign up are added to a wait-list, and new classes will continue to open when a wait-list reaches a minimum number.

Zooming

Despite widespread business closures and people out of work, Hurtado and Saldana attribute multiple causes to the striking drop in attendance, and not all are related to financial concerns.

Many parents have various questions about the Zoom format. Is it effective? Are the children spending too much total time on the computer already?

Saldana reports conversations with parents who tell her classes are not the same on Zoom; children miss being with their friends, and some parents themselves feel unable to help their child.

Saldana understands their frustration. “I know I’m overwhelmed as a parent of three, trying to coordinate their classes and their Zoom meetings, and did they do their homework, and which programs are they using?”

Nonetheless, Saldana feels the after-school classes which focus on sports and movement are especially valuable to younger children during this time. She said the activities are designed to be done in a variety of spaces, whether it’s a backyard or a park, with a minimum of equipment, and she shares the experience of her eight-year-old son.

“Isaac was in the patio,” Saldana describes. “We put my laptop there, we plugged into Zoom, with the coach and about seven other kids. And the coach was so engaging! ‘Okay, Isaac, let’s see you dribble that ball. Wow, that’s great! Okay, now it’s Mario’s turn. Mario, let’s see you!”

Watching her son from inside, Saldana recounts, “He’s bouncing and looking at the computer screen. And you know, he’s having a good time. He loved it! He was like, ‘I can’t wait for next week!’”

Another challenge to rebuilding enrollment in the DFEO programs is the limited connection that the non-profit now has with parents because the campuses are temporarily closed to in-person instruction.

“We are not able to promote directly on school sites,” says Hurtado, “so those families who don’t have social media, or are not on our newsletter, who are new families to us or to the school district, no longer sign up.”

“We’ve asked the principals to send out messages through their social media or their emails,” says Saldana, “but honestly, parents are really inundated with information right now.

Additional Closures

In addition to restricting DFEO’s after-school programs, the pandemic also brought a sudden halt to two other programs that were both firsts for Downey students.

Recognizing the deep interest and support among Downey families for music lessons, DFEO organized the first ever Downey Youth String Ensemble that met for additional practice on Monday nights at the Warren High School music room.

“Our Monday night strings program had about twenty-five violinists and three cellos,” recounts Saldana. Downey musician and composer Lars Clutterham was the conductor and arranger. The Ensemble first performed publicly in December 2018 at Downey High School.

“There’s just no way we can meet in person like that right now,” says Saldana. “It’s just been put on hold, and it will take a while to rebuild when we do come back.”

Also canceled this school year was the first ever science camp trip for all DUSD fifth-graders to local mountains. Science camp is a culminating event for elementary students in many other districts, and it was Saldana’s vision that Downey students would have this opportunity as well.

DFEO had successfully piloted the fifth-grade science camp program with some of the schools last year. Cost to each student for the three-day, two-night trip was fixed at $235. Students would receive information towards the end of fourth grade so their families could plan; fundraising opportunities and savings accounts would be set up for families who might have trouble meeting the cost.

This school year, 2020-2021, was to be the first year that all DUSD fifth-graders would be able to go, and dates were confirmed for this coming January/February.

But when the pandemic shuttered schools and businesses in March, DFEO was not able to share with parents the description of the science camp, its schedule, and the opportunity for savings accounts.

“Even if schools and businesses reopened by January,” Saldana laments, “there’s no way we could possibly be ready to go and the kids have saved money, so we just had to completely put everything on the shelf this year.”

Lunch Program

While DFEO’s efforts have been mainly focused on learning opportunities for students, its mission statement is broadly stated as support for the District.

“Our umbrella is pretty big,” says Saldana. “We can say, ‘What do you need? How do you need us to pivot or shift?’”

Saldana goes on to explain that she feels DFEO may help in addressing a serious, unexpected consequence of school closures.

Now that the new school year has started and distance learning is systematically implemented, District personnel are puzzled that eligible families are not signing up for the free and reduced lunch program. If too many families drop out of the program, the District is in danger of losing its eligibility for certain grants from the federal government. This impacts District employees as well as students, and could result in furloughs or layoffs.

Lunches are still available for students, even though students are not on campus. Given the difficult circumstances of distance learning, it may be that no one in the family is available to pick up the food.

“So, families are just opting to not sign up,” muses Saldana. She ponders a raffle for a bike or two as a way to promote signing up for the lunch program.

“I just know that they [the District] need our help.”

Families wanting to know more about DFEO and its programs can go to their website dfeo.org.