InPlay is now in play for kids and families
SAN JOSE – In an effort to ensure that kids continue to receive the afterschool and summer enrichment they need, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors today voted unanimously to extend its contract through June 2023 with InPlay. InPlay is a Bay Area nonprofit that partners with schools to connect school-aged children with afterschool and summer programs.
Championed by County Supervisor Joe Simitian, the County awarded InPlay a three-year contract in 2019 to help close the achievement gap by helping underserved families find local and affordable programs for their children through a searchable online activity guide.
Said Simitian, “The fact that InPlay specifically identifies low-cost and scholarship opportunities in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Korean, Hindi, and Japanese makes it a particularly valuable resource—especially after the pandemic has limited options these past two years.”
“Out-of-school programs are essential for the health and educational well-being of students,” Simitian added. “Unfortunately, not all students have equal access to high quality summer and afterschool programs. The great thing about the InPlay activity guide is that it centralizes resources that are beneficial to all Santa Clara County families.”
Funding from the County will help InPlay compile a Countywide listing of activities available to all TK-12 youth, including those who are considered low-income, have special needs, or are English-language learners.
Child outreach programs are often disjointed and uncoordinated. InPlay works to address these access issues via a database that allows families to search from among city-funded, nonprofit, and for-profit programs and activities filtered by age, location, cost, and type of program. The Santa Clara County Activity Guide will enable families to find programs within their city and even near their home or workplace, thereby helping to ease the pressure on working parents.
County funding will also offset the cost to school districts for the set-up of OSCAR (Out-of-school Communication and Registration System), InPlay’s new service that is designed to reach priority students. OSCAR is a mobile registration system for districts and out-of-school learning networks seeking to recruit and enroll underserved students in subsidized summer and afterschool programs.
"With school ending in a few short months, families will have a one-stop-shop to find fun and engaging summertime activities for their kids,” said Rod Hsiao, CEO and founder of InPlay. “I thank Supervisor Simitian and the Board of Supervisors for sponsoring the County's activity guide, and responding to the need for kids to stay active and learning year-round. This guide will connect underserved students with enriching learning opportunities to promote equitable access for all.”