This special report in the weekly newspaper of the National League of Cities describes a new citywide approach being used in five cities, with support from The Wallace, to improve out-of-school time (OST) opportunities for children. The approach rests on six “action elements”: securing strong, committed leadership; carrying out multi-year planning to set goals, identify needed resources and hold key players accountable; enlisting a public or private coordinating entity to keep those plans on track and help build citywide support for OST; establishing information systems to provide reliable data about participation trends and family needs; expanding participation by young people; and raising the quality of programming.
To read the special report, click here.