Lucia Mar Unified School District’s before- and after-school care program is at capacity, according to a local parent hoping her son gets off the waitlist for the 2026-27 school year.
Oceano resident Anna Cordero is juggling her job as an online U.S. history teacher while making sure her Harloe Elementary second grader receives adequate attention after school. It’s a significant adjustment from her son’s time in first grade when he was in Bright Futures Before and After School Care.
Cordero, who’s also running for the school district’s Trustee Area 3 seat, told the Lucia Mar school board at its Aug. 19 meeting that an increasing number of kids are on the Bright Futures waitlist because of staffing issues.
“My baby there is just heartbroken because part of the reason why he loves Bright Futures outside of the fact that mommy is very busy, is the fact that we do do a lot of those enrichment programs,” she said. “We need to be really intentional because parents are scrambling, … we need to keep the maintaining that ongoing dialogue.”
The Bright Futures program is free for Lucia Mar students.
Funded by part of the state’s After School Enrichment and Safety Program and the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, Bright Futures takes care of elementary and middle school students before and after school while their parents are busy.
The academic enrichment program provides snacks, classes, time for homework, science programs, arts and crafts activities, free play, and structured play.
Credit: FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
Admission into the program is based on a tiered priority system. Homeless children, those in foster care, and students who are socio-economically disadvantaged get priority. The second priority group comprises kids of Lucia Mar staff. All other students fall into the third priority group.
The district uses a lottery system within each of the priority groups.
Parents and guardians must submit applications for each child. Limited spots are available for students entering transitional kindergarten.
Lucia Mar spokesperson Amy Jacobs told New Times that enrollment numbers fluctuate daily. Bright Futures currently hosts about 1,925 students.
“Our waitlist numbers are also dynamic and change daily,” she said. “We are working diligently with our partner agencies to manage the programs and add students whenever space becomes available.”
Bright Futures’ partner agencies are the YMCA of Channel Islands, the Boys and Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo County, and the Nipomo Area Recreation Association. Jacobs didn’t say whether there’s a staffing shortage.
“While Lucia Mar is not the hiring agency, our partners are working hard to ensure we have the necessary staff to support our students,” she said. “We create a waitlist every year as a standard part of our process. Our team collaborates closely with our partner agencies throughout the year to help place as many students as possible.”
Cordero’s son qualified for the before-school program, but with her and her husband’s busy careers, it’s the after-school program that Cordero wants him to be admitted to. She told New Times that other parents are also struggling because their kids are on the Bright Futures waitlist.
“This is a part of education,” Cordero said. “School days are not workdays.”
She now wakes up early and goes to bed later than usual to balance work and time spent with her son. Cordero hopes for sustained communication from the school district.
“I wasn’t even thinking about my campaign. I’m a mother who needs this now,” she said. “It’s a lottery system. Are we on the waitlist for the whole year and there’s no hope?” ∆
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sept 3, 2026.
