The top California ELO-P vendors aren’t all the same — coordinator-first comparison guide inside.
Top California ELO-P Vendors 2026-27
(A coordinator’s comparison guide — save this before your next RFP.)
California funds about $4.4B in Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) each year, and 55%+ UPP districts are now required to offer programming. That means more districts than ever are shopping for the top California ELO-P vendors — but there is no shared buyer’s guide. Every coordinator invents a shortlist from scratch, mostly from word of mouth. Here is the comparison guide we would want at our own desk.
Below we categorize the top California ELO-P vendors coordinators actually shortlist, organized by vendor archetype. Every vendor named runs live programming in California in 2026-27 based on publicly available information. Use the comparison table at the end to filter by what matters for your district.
How we categorized the top California ELO-P vendors
We grouped vendors into five archetypes based on how they show up at the district level:
- Big National Multi-Program Providers — turnkey ELO-P, high volume, national reach
- Regional Nonprofits + Youth-Development Orgs — mission-driven, deep community ties
- CA-Focused Multi-Site Operators — deep California footprint, LEA-relationship-first
- Vertical Specialists (STEM, Arts, Tutoring) — deep in one program lane, MWBE options here
- YMCA + Boys and Girls Club Local Chapters — federated model, chapter-by-chapter delivery
1. Big National Multi-Program Providers
Right at School
National K-8 afterschool provider with California operations at scale. Curriculum library includes STEM, arts, movement, and homework support. Public information at rightatschool.com.
Champions (KinderCare Learning Companies)
KinderCare’s before/after-school arm. Large California footprint, deeply established, national billing infrastructure. Public information at discoverchampions.com.
After School All-Stars
National nonprofit with California chapters, mission-driven ELO-P delivery. Strong track record in LA and Bay Area. Public information at afterschoolallstars.org/california.
2. Regional Nonprofits + Youth-Development Orgs
Think Together
The single largest ELO-P provider in California. Deep LEA relationships, comprehensive turnkey delivery, especially strong in LAUSD, SDUSD, and Central Valley. Public information at thinktogether.org.
Woodcraft Rangers
Long-standing California nonprofit with major LAUSD footprint. STEAM curriculum. Public information at woodcraftrangers.org.
Partnership for Children and Youth (PCY)
Not a direct provider — an intermediary and technical assistance org for CA expanded learning. Coordinators use PCY resources for planning, evaluation, and advocacy. Public information at partnerforchildren.org.
3. CA-Focused Multi-Site Operators
Elevo Learning
California-focused ELO-P and SEL delivery, growing footprint. Strong in Southern California. Public information at elevolearning.com.
BAM! (Beyond Academics)
California-based ELO-P + academic support provider. Public information at bam.school.
Study Smart Tutors
Tutoring-first provider that also delivers ELO-P blocks. Strong for districts that want academic recovery emphasis. Public information at studysmarttutors.com.
4. Vertical Specialists (STEM, Arts, Tutoring, MWBE options)
Kodely
MWBE-certified K-8 STEM and arts enrichment provider. 40+ California districts across ELO-P, Prop 28, CCSPP, LREBG. Single-vendor multi-lane delivery — one roster covering coding, robotics, animation, film, visual arts, and music. Session-level itemized invoicing coded to Resource 2600 (ELO-P) and Resource 6770 (Prop 28), supplement-not-supplant memos included in every scope of work. Public information at kodely.io. (Disclosure: this comparison is written by the Kodely team.)
Playworks
National nonprofit focused on recess and structured play. Not full ELO-P but a common Pillar 4 partner at recess-focused sites. Public information at playworks.org.
Girls Who Code / Black Girls Code / Latinas in STEM
Program-specific nonprofits typically hired as vertical add-ons rather than full ELO-P providers. Excellent for supplement-not-supplant Prop 28 arts scopes with STEM adjacency.
5. YMCA + Boys and Girls Club Local Chapters
Both operate under a federated model — every California YMCA or BGCA chapter is a separate legal entity with its own ELO-P practice. Delivery quality varies significantly by chapter. Best fit: districts with an existing strong local YMCA or BGCA relationship. Contact your regional chapter directly, not the national body.
Comparison table: filtering the top California ELO-P vendors by what matters
Use the dimensions below to filter to a shortlist. No vendor is #1 on every dimension — the question is which combination fits your district.
| Vendor / Category | ELO-P | Prop 28 (§8820) | CCSPP Pillar 4 | MWBE | Session-level invoicing | K-8 focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Think Together | Yes · scale | Yes | Yes | — | Available | Yes |
| Right at School | Yes | Partial | Partial | — | Available | Yes |
| Champions | Yes | Partial | Partial | — | Available | Yes |
| Woodcraft Rangers | Yes · LAUSD-heavy | Partial | Yes | — | Available | Yes |
| After School All-Stars | Yes | Partial | Yes | — | Available | 6-8 focus |
| Elevo Learning | Yes | Partial | Partial | — | Available | Yes |
| Study Smart Tutors | Yes · academic | — | Partial | — | Available | Yes |
| YMCA (by chapter) | Varies | Varies | Varies | — | Varies | Yes |
| Boys & Girls Club (by chapter) | Varies | Varies | Varies | — | Varies | Yes |
| Kodely (STEM + arts specialist) | Yes · 40+ districts | Yes · §8820 memos | Yes · 12+ sites | Yes | Yes · default | Yes · K-8 |
Table reflects publicly available information as of August 2026. Vendors’ actual scope may vary by district and RFP. Verify with each vendor directly.
How to actually use this comparison
Districts that pick well use this comparison as a longlist filter, not a final decision:
Step 1. Filter to vendors that cover your specific funding lane(s). If you run ELO-P + Prop 28 + CCSPP, prioritize single-vendor multi-lane options.
Step 2. If MWBE utilization credit matters (LAUSD, SFUSD, OUSD, LBUSD prime contracts), filter to MWBE-certified vendors or vendors with MWBE subcontracting practice.
Step 3. Filter to session-level itemized invoicing. Lump-sum invoicing is where audit findings live.
Step 4. Send the same 3-question script to each finalist: (a) send us your written minimum-day schedule with staffing named at each block, (b) send a sample invoice showing session-level line items coded to your resource lines, (c) send three references at LEAs of similar size.
Step 5. Compare responses side by side. Shortlist based on specificity, not marketing language.
For a more detailed evaluation framework, see our 9 Green Flags checklist and the 8 California ELO-P Compliance Trip Wires. Both are companion guides to this comparison.
Why the “top California ELO-P vendors” question is harder than it looks
The honest answer is that there is no universal #1 ELO-P vendor in California — the right pick depends heavily on your district’s specific funding mix, MWBE goals, geography, and the age band of your students. A K-8 STEM specialist is the wrong pick for a district that wants a homework-help-first 6-8 model. A national multi-program provider is the wrong pick for a district that specifically needs MWBE utilization credit under a large prime contract. Woodcraft Rangers is a strong LAUSD pick and less relevant if you are in Sacramento.
The best filter is: what does your specific site actually need on the ground, and which vendor’s real operational strength maps to that need? Vendors that publish detailed pricing, sample invoices, and named references without you asking are almost always the ones that hold up in Year 2. Vendors that respond in marketing language are usually the same in Year 2.
About Kodely
Kodely is a MWBE-certified K-8 STEM and arts enrichment provider serving 40+ California districts across ELO-P, Prop 28, CCSPP, and LREBG. We deliver school-day, afterschool, and non-schoolday coverage under one roster, with itemized session-level invoicing coded to your specific resource lines, credentialed staff, and allowability memos included in every scope of work. If you are building the 2026-27 vendor shortlist and want a second read on your RFP language or your incumbent’s paperwork exposure, we are happy to have a conversation. This comparison is a fair public overview — nobody named above should be interpreted as endorsed or criticized; verify every vendor’s actual scope directly.
Sources and further reading
- California Education Code §46120 — ELO-P — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov §46120
- California Education Code §8820 — Prop 28 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov §8820
- CDE — Expanded Learning Opportunities Program — cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/elopinfo.asp
- CDE — Fiscal Responsibilities of ELOP 2025-26 Program Instrument — cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/documents/elop2526.docx
- California AfterSchool Network — afterschoolnetwork.org
- Partnership for Children and Youth — partnerforchildren.org
- Kodely — 9 Green Flags for California ELO-P Vendor Selection — kodely.io/blog
- Kodely — 8 California ELO-P Compliance Trip Wires — kodely.io/blog
- Kodely — The ELO-P 9-Hour Compliance Trap — kodely.io/blog