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OCEANSIDE’S FINEST • Corie Slali Sandor
Oceanside's Finest
CORIE SLALI SANDOR & DENISE MCCONNELL
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WORDS: ELIZABETH SCHWARTZE PHOTO: ZACH CORDNER
On a warm fall day near the grounds of the now shuttered Garrison Elementary, Corie Slali Sandor and Denise McConnell reminisce about the beginning of their thriving non-profit, BASE Programs.
In 2008, the seedling of a great idea— combined with the power of friendship, and hard work—is now a dream-come-to-fruition, and Garrison Elementary is where it began.
BASE stands for Before and After School Enrichment and is implemented in seven school sites in Oceanside, currently serving around 1,000 students. Corie and Denise are Osiders throughand-through, and their continued dedication to Oceanside’s youth through enrichment programs make them two of Oceanside’s Finest.
Denise’s family arrived in California via Camp Pendleton with the Marine Corps. She grew up attending local schools including Libby Elementary, San Luis Rey Elementary, Jefferson Middle School, and graduated from El Camino High School. Other than a brief tour in Arizona, Denise has called Oceanside home for most of her life.
Corie grew up in San Diego and moved to Oceanside in seventh grade. After a few moves around North County, she graduated from Calvary Christian and, as quickly as possible, returned to Oceanside at eighteen years-old.
The two ladies met at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) where they majored in Human Development with an emphasis in Children’s Services.
Both Corie and Denise were working on their undergraduate degrees at CSUSM and teaching after school enrichment programs separately when the principal of Garrison Elementary, Margie Oliver, recommended creating an all-encompassing before and after school program for children.
After pooling resources, garnering support, and creating a multi-faceted program, in 2008, the ladies received their 501 (c)(3) designation and BASE Programs began to: Encourage Imagination, Cultivate Curiosity, and Spark Creativity.
BASE is now implemented for students from transitional kindergarten (TK) to fifth grade at seven campuses in Oceanside. With approximately fifty
employees, BASE programs are elevating before and after school programs so students are engaged and learning: Academics, Athletics, and Enrichment to complete whole child educational models.
“Gone are the days of babysitting programs. The hours before and after school are now a platform for creative learning on school campuses,” their website iterates. There are between 8001,000 Oceanside students enrolled in BASE Programs, with a waitlist at every location.
Corie and Denise emphasize how the people and institutions in Oceanside made this dream come true. “There’s nowhere else we could’ve grown this,” emphasizes Corie, “Oceanside Unified School District has done nothing but facilitate our passion and help us build our program from the ground up. That’s pretty amazing for a school district!”
The local colleges (Mira Costa, Palomar, and CSUSM) are also excellent resources for recruiting employees. “We need to take care of our own community, and with our model, many of our employees can go on to be teachers. We can mentor young adults through their journey.”
Corie and Denise are even in the position to hire their former students; they currently have three employees who were once BASE Program students. And in 2022, the future of BASE Programs is bright with infinite growth potential to more campuses and different cities.
After fourteen years, Corie and Denise have created an exemplary program that is uniquely Oceanside—forged by a love for enriching the lives of children and stoked by the support of their beloved city. They give credit to their own families for supporting their efforts and explain, “Oceanside is the best place to raise kids.”
Thank you, Corie and Denise for investing in Oceanside youth, investing in our community, and making it a better place—you are Oceanside’s Finest!
