DATE: August 19, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Housing and Neighborhood Services Department
TITLE: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENTS FOR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM PROVIDERS IN LIBBY LAKE AND CROWN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTERS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026-27
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve three FY2026-27 Professional Services Agreements (PSAs) for afterschool program providers: Vista Community Clinic-Project REACH Libby Lake ($88,654), North County Lifeline DBA Lifeline Community Services La Escuelita Crown Heights ($70,916), and North County Lifeline DBA Lifeline Community Services La Casita Crown Heights ($39,004); and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement upon receipt of all supporting documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
After-school programs are an essential part of the community and have a significant impact on the lives of the individuals and families who use them. These programs provide a safe place for youth to go after school during critical hours, assist with homework, teach life skills, facilitate service-learning projects, and create a sense of community. Afterschool programs teach youth about art, culture, music, empathy, problem-solving/decision making, and leadership.
Afterschool programs also teach employment skills and youth an opportunity to take part in civic engagement by attending and speaking at City Council meetings and completing projects that give back to the community. These after-school programs also provide early intervention services for youth who are at high-risk for gang affiliation and/or involvement due to familial ties or affiliations to gang members in their neighborhoods, as well as community-based risk factors such as poverty, high crime rates, and poor educational attainment.
Due to the critical nature of afterschool programs and the lack of available external funding, since 2014, the City Council has allocated General Funds for operation of three crucial afterschool youth development programs in Oceanside: 1) Vista Community Clinic’s Project REACH; 2) North County Lifeline Community Services’ La Escuelita Club Crown Heights program; and, 3) North County Lifeline Community Services’ La Casita program. These programs continue to fill a crucial need for prevention and intervention programs for Oceanside youth in these core neighborhoods.
Project Reach Libby Lake
Established in 1995, Project REACH is one of the longest-running programs at Vista Community Clinic (VCC). Reaching adolescents through after-school programs located in neighborhoods with a history of gang violence, poverty, and low graduation rates, Project REACH has served thousands of low-income middle- and high-school students, providing daily academic, life skills training, social, and emotional support. Project REACH has helped to create a sense of community in the Libby Lake neighborhood through service learning and community engagement. Currently, there are over 70 youth enrolled in the program with a daily attendance of 35-40 youth. Youth attending Libby Lake REACH have an average Grade Point Average of 3.0, and parents/caregivers have used the program to become more active in their neighborhood.
La Escuelita
The Lifeline Youth Development Program at the Crown Heights Community Resource Center, also known as “La Escuelita” or “Club Crown Heights” (CCH), is an after-school program for youth, ages 12-17, living in Crown Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods. La Escuelita youth learn employment skills, receive assistance with homework, participate in service-learning projects, and are supported throughout their high school career. Program staff assist graduating youth with college/university applications, many of whom are first-generation graduates.
La Escuelita faced some challenges in FY2025-26, as the Crown Heights Community Center (where the program is based) was undergoing a complete renovation and the program was temporarily moved to a small trailer in the neighborhood. Due to limited space, staff were not able to operate a robust program. Even with these limitations, La Escuelita had eight high school graduates in June 2026. La Escuelita will move back into the renovated Crown Heights Community Center on August 15, 2026, and Lifeline Community Services will implement a plan to recruit, engage, and retain Crown Heights youth for a successful new year.
La Casita
The Lifeline Youth Development Program at Crown Heights, La Casita, is an after-school program for a minimum of 40 youth, in grades K-5, living in the economically disadvantaged neighborhood of Crown Heights and the surrounding communities. Youth in Oceanside’s Crown Heights neighborhood and surrounding communities continue to overcome significant barriers to achieve success. Parents in these communities often work multiple jobs or are single parents. Most Crown Heights families have few options for after-school care and limited adult supervision during critical hours, making youth especially vulnerable to drugs, gang involvement, and other high-risk behaviors. La Casita provides individualized academic tutoring three times each week to assist struggling youth with reading and arithmetic.
La Casita had 33 youth enrolled in the program during FY2025-26 and joined La Escuelita in the activities and workshops listed above.
Youth enrolled in the La Casita program have the opportunity to move into the La Escuelita program once they reach 6th grade and remain in the program throughout high school. This enables youth to experience a smooth transition, as they are familiar with the Lifeline staff and the program setting.
PSAs
The attached PSAs are for the operation of the three Youth Development programs in the Crown Heights and Libby Lake communities for the period beginning July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The Scope of Work, budget details, and reporting documents are incorporated in the PSAs and are provided as attachments. With continued funding and execution of the PSAs, the Programs will sustain positive youth development in neighborhoods where there is a lack of services and at-risk youth face the additional challenges of poverty and gang violence on a daily basis.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the three PSAs is $198,574. The funding for these agreements was approved by City Council on June 3, 2026, with the FY 2026-27 City budget. There are sufficient funds available.
Both North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services) and Vista Community Clinic will submit monthly invoices and quarterly program reports to the Neighborhood Services Department and will submit quarterly Non-profit Organization Financial reports to the Finance Department.
|
Description |
Amount ($) |
Account |
Available Balance ($) |
|
Vista Community Clinic-Project REACH Libby Lake |
88,654 |
Libby Lake Resource Center 900876300101.5395.0014 |
90,418 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services)-La Escuelita (CCH) |
70,916 |
Crown Heights Resource Center 900876100101.5395.0015 |
72,334 |
|
North County Lifeline (DBA Lifeline Community Services)-La Casita |
39,004 |
Chavez Resource Center 900876000101.5395.0020 |
39,784 |
|
Total |
$198,574 |
|
|
|
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The reference documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Michele Gehr, Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Leilani Hines, Housing & Neighborhood Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
Attachments
1. Agreement with Lifeline La Escuelita
2. Agreement with La Casita
3. Agreement with Vista Community Clinic
4. Sole Source Justification