Expanding Enrichment Opportunities
for Elementary Students

San Rafael City Schools (SRCS), HeadsUp and our elementary school parent organizations are proud to expand a collaborative partnership that supports fun, engaging and enriching experiences for elementary students across the District.

For many years, HeadsUp and school parent organizations have played an important role in funding enrichment opportunities for SRCS students. During the COVID pandemic, SRCS and its community partners recognized an opportunity to build a more equitable approach, one that would help ensure students at every elementary school have access to high-quality enrichment, regardless of differences in school fundraising capacity.

That work led to a collaborative partnership among SRCS, HeadsUp PTA/PTO/Foundation organizations, and Youth in Arts to support visual and performing arts (VAPA) programming across all elementary schools. Over the past several years, this model has helped stabilize and expand access to arts enrichment while strengthening coordination, collaboration and shared investment across schools.

The addition of Proposition 28 funding has also created new opportunities for SRCS to directly support arts education through credentialed arts educators. This allows community partnerships to continue evolving in ways that complement and enhance District-funded programming.

Expanding the Partnership to Physical Education

For the 2026–27 school year, we are taking the next step by expanding this shared partnership model to include physical education programming.

The updated model incorporates the District's PE contract, currently with the National Academy of Athletics, alongside contributions from school parent organizations and HeadsUp. By aligning these resources, we can create a more coordinated, sustainable approach to enrichment.

This model reflects a shared commitment to:
 

• Equitable access: Expanding opportunities so students at every elementary school can benefit from enrichment experiences.
   

• Strong partnerships: Building on the expertise, resources and contributions of SRCS, HeadsUp, parent organizations, Youth in Arts and contracted enrichment providers.
   

• Quality programming: Supporting engaging, high-quality experiences that complement students' core learning.
   

• Sustainability: Coordinating resources and investments to strengthen enrichment opportunities over the long term.

A Collaborative Approach

The Enrichment Partnership Advisory Group will continue to bring partners together to provide feedback on program quality, access and opportunities for growth. This ongoing collaboration will help ensure that enrichment programming reflects student needs and continues to evolve in meaningful ways.

Looking ahead, we are building on the strong foundation created through our VAPA partnership while extending the approach to physical education. Together, SRCS and our community partners are working to preserve the strengths of our existing partnerships, use resources thoughtfully and expand equitable access to enriching experiences for all elementary students.