Transcript Afterschool for All

Mentoring and
Afterschool:
A Powerful Combination
What We’ll Cover
•
Making the Case:
•What
is Afterschool?
•Afterschool Outcomes
•
Making the Connection:
•
Mentoring Afterschool
•Policy
•
•
Matters
Issues Facing Afterschool Programs
Advocating for Afterschool & Mentoring
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Making the Case:
What is Afterschool?
What is Afterschool?
• Provides a supervised, enriching environment in
the hours after the school day ends
• Usually offered in a school or a recreation /
community center
• Different from individual activities, such as
sports, special lessons or hobby clubs
As defined in America After 3 PM: A Household Survey on Afterschool In
America, 2009
www.afterschoolalliance.org
• 8.4
million kids
participate in
afterschool programs
• 15.1 million kids on
their own after school
• Economy is having an
impact
America After 3PM
2009 Compared to 2004
National Percentages
2009
2004
Kids in Afterschool Programs
15%
11%
Kids in Self Care
26%
25%
Kids in Sibling Care
14%
11%
89%
91%
Kids Who Would Participate if
a Program were Available
38%
30%
Kids in Summer Learning
Programs
25%
--
Parents Satisfied with
Afterschool Program
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Demand for Afterschool Programs
• 2/3 of voters consider
afterschool very important*
• 74% of voters want their
newly elected federal, state
and local officials to increase
funding*
•82% of school
superintendents say these
programs are important (NAAChampions Survey, 2011)
* Source: Afterschool Alliance Poll conducted by Lake Research
Partners, November 2012*
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Making the Case:
Afterschool Outcomes
Improved School Attendance, Engagement in Learning
• 95% high school graduation rate for students enrolled in Project
Exploration programs
Improved Test Scores and Grades
• 69% of Wisconsin 21st CCLC program attendees increased their
academic performance
Students at Greatest Risk Show Greatest Gains
• 3,000 low-income students demonstrated significant gains in
standardized math test scores after 2 years, compared to
unsupervised peers – Promising After-School Programs Study
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Keep Children Safe
• Kids attending LA’s BEST are 30 percent less likely to be involved in
criminal activities than peers.
Help Working Families
• 74% of parents agreed that NYC out-of-school time programs make
it easier to keep their jobs.
• 73% agreed they missed less work than prior to their children’s
involvement
• New York City’s Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth Initiative
evaluation
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Benefits to the Community
Crime and Truancy-Related Savings
Every dollar invested in LA’s BEST saves Los
Angeles $2.50 in crime-related costs.
•
Benefits to the Bottom Line
• Worries about children’s activities in the afternoon
leads to unscheduled absences and makes working
parents less productive at work, costing businesses as
much as $300 billion annually in lost productivity.
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Key Messages
•
Afterschool programs:
• Keep kids safe
• Engage kids in learning
• Help working families
At their best when they complement but don’t
replicate the school day
•
Afterschool programs are also communityschool partnerships
•
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Making the Connection:
Mentoring in Afterschool
Mentor Placement
in Afterschool Programs
“Afterschool programs, with their history of
supporting families and communities, are an
ideal platform for successful mentoring
programs.”
(Afterschool: A Place for Older Youth to Mentor and Be Mentored, 2009)
• The afterschool space serves as a way to
intentionally strengthen youth-adult
relationships and bring structure to
mentor/mentee meetings.
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Bridging the Gap
Afterschool
Some afterschool programs tend to focus on improving and
strengthening their students’ academic abilities, causing them to
neglect the social and emotional development that occurs when
positive youth-adult relationships are formed.
Mentoring
As experts in the field of positive youth-adult interactions, the
presence of mentors at afterschool programs could help to
increase the development of the students; ultimately, helping
afterschool programs reach their goal.
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Bridging the Gap
“Connecting youth to caring adults is one of the key factors in
keeping youth involved in afterschool programs.”
(Afterschool: A Place for Older Youth to Mentor and Be Mentored, 2009)
Connecting Mentoring with Afterschool
•Mentoring organizations can collaborate with afterschool
programs to ensure that every student is in contact with an
adult.
•Mentors could be used to staff afterschool programs by putting
them in charge of one-on-one or small group activities.
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Policy Matters:
Issues Facing Afterschool Programs
Variety of Federal Funding Streams
www.afterschoolalliance.org
$2,600,000,000
$2,400,000,000
$2,200,000,000
$2,000,000,000
$1,800,000,000
$1,600,000,000
$1,400,000,000
$1,200,000,000
$1,000,000,000
$800,000,000
$600,000,000
$400,000,000
$200,000,000
$0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Amount Appropriated
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Amount Authorized
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Appropriations
www.afterschoolalliance.org
ESEA Reauthorization
• House:
• Student Success Act
block grants afterschool
funding
• Passed House in July
• Senate Health, Education,
Pensions & Labor Committee:
• Protects 21st CCLC
funding but would divert
some funds to school
redesign/longer school
day
•Major differences to be
resolved – doesn’t seem likely
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Advocating for Afterschool
& Mentoring
Developing an Advocacy Action Plan

Things to think about:
 What are your immediate goals? Longterm, short-term, immediate?
 Who are your allies? Who supports summer
learning or afterschool in your community?
 Who are you targeting?
 How do you plan to get the attention of
each target?
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Raise your voices – contact
Congress/local officials
• Start a letter / email campaign
• Arrange a meeting between parents and district staff.
•Attend the Afterschool for All Challenge
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Arrange a site visit
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Host a Lights On Afterschool Event
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Invite the media
 Plagiarize freely! – from our
website
 Create a media list
 Identify 2-3 key messages
 Structure events with media
in mind
 Appeal to the press, build
relationships
 Issue press releases
 Develop press kits
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Spread the Word with Social Media
www.afterschoolalliance.org
Thank you!
Alexis Steines
Field Outreach Manager
Afterschool Alliance
[email protected]
202-347-2030
Greta Poku-Adjei
AmeriCorps VISTA Leader
Afterschool Alliance
[email protected]
202-348-2030