| School/OST Partnerships Help Kids Thrive, Thanks to Pandemic Funding | GP0|#b804f37e-c5dd-4433-a644-37b51bb2e211;L0|#0b804f37e-c5dd-4433-a644-37b51bb2e211|Afterschool;GTSet|#a1e8653d-64cb-48e0-8015-b5826f8c5b61 | <p>Almost every headline about young people today seems to mention the learning loss and mental health challenges created by the pandemic. For good reason. The latest <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/" target="_blank">National Assessment of Educational Progress</a> found that math, reading, civics, and U.S. history scores for students decreased, in some cases with scores lower than all previous assessments dating back to 2005. </p><p>School attendance as well has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with estimates that the percentage of students who were chronically absent doubled from 8 million pre-pandemic to approximately 16 million in 2022. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among youth is also alarming. The CDC’s most recent <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf" target="_blank">Youth Risk Behavior Survey</a> found that more than two in five high schoolers report feeling sad or hopeless, an increase of 50 percent since 2011, and the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf" target="_blank">U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory</a> raises the alarm about the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States. </p><p>Decades of research demonstrate that afterschool and summer programs can help stem these losses. Moreover, pandemic relief funding has created a once in a generation chance to expand these opportunities for youth. Recognizing the value of afterschool and summer programs in supporting students’ well-being and academic growth, the federal government has provided upwards of $30 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to states and localities that can be used to create or expand afterschool and summer learning. </p><h2 class="wf-Element-H2">Programs a “second home” </h2><p>Because they focus on the whole child, afterschool and summer learning programs can offer enriching activities that engage young people in hands-on learning and encourage them to try new things. Staff are trained to help kids talk about their emotions, gain confidence, build healthy relationships, and heal from trauma. Research shows that kids who participate in afterschool develop strong social skills, get excited about learning, attend school more often, improve math and reading performance, and gain workforce skills. </p><p>The data is powerful, but students help us put the benefits in even sharper focus. “My program became a second home for me,” says Madelyn Hinkleman, an afterschool student in South Dakota. “A place where my friends and I felt safe…where we go to discover who we were, take risks, and try new things.” </p><p><img src="/News-and-Media/Blog/PublishingImages/Pages/school-ost-partnerships-help-kids-thrive-thanks-to-pandemic-funding/YouthAmb_QuoteCard_MadelynHinkleman_Quote_home.png" alt="YouthAmb_QuoteCard_MadelynHinkleman_Quote_home.png" style="margin:5px;" /><br><br></p><p>Another student, Nekayla Stokes in Delaware, says she values “working with caring adults who encourage us to listen to each other, respect all voices in a room, and learn about different perspectives.” </p><p><img src="/News-and-Media/Blog/PublishingImages/Pages/school-ost-partnerships-help-kids-thrive-thanks-to-pandemic-funding/YouthAmb_QuoteCard_NekaylaStokes_Quote_caringadults.png" alt="YouthAmb_QuoteCard_NekaylaStokes_Quote_caringadults.png" style="margin:5px;" /><br></p><p>Millions of students like Madelyn and Nekayla are now thriving, thanks to those ARP investments. Some standout programs have included: </p><p></p><div class="wf-Element-BlueBullet">Experiential learning camps in Vermont, where youth learned how to use a compass and to identify wild edibles; </div><p></p><p></p><div class="wf-Element-BlueBullet">STEM offerings in Bloomington, Illinois, where the school district teamed up with community partners like the Children's Discovery Museum, Illinois State University for Math and Science, and local Boys & Girls Clubs;</div><p></p><p></p><div class="wf-Element-BlueBullet">Seattle’s $1 million investment in youth employment and paid internship opportunities.</div><p></p><h2 class="wf-Element-H2">Tapping (and mapping) federal funds</h2><p>But while strong examples exist, billions of dollars are still on the table. Of the $30 billion or so that can be invested in afterschool and summer, thus far just $6 billion has been tapped. To help spur more partnerships, the U.S. Department of Education created a special initiative, <a href="http://www.engageeverystudent.org/" target="_blank">Engage Every Student</a>, to help school districts, localities, and programs tap pandemic relief funds to support students after school and in the summer. </p><p>The Engage Every Student Initiative partners offer technical assistance to those interested, and the Afterschool Alliance and National League of Cities have developed a <a href="https://engageeverystudent.org/interactive-map/?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=Updated%20ARP%20Map%20%20ARP%20blogs&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">map</a> featuring more than 300 examples of states, school districts, and local governments that have invested pandemic funds in programming for youth. These examples serve as inspiration and models for other communities, and they help demonstrate to policymakers the effectiveness and sound use of pandemic funds to support students after school and in the summer. As relief funding ends in 2024, showing demonstrated success will be critical to make the case for continued investments at the local, state, and federal level. </p><h2 class="wf-Element-H2">Look for community partners </h2><p>The strongest examples of pandemic investments in afterschool and summer are built around partnerships with existing community providers, build on the evidence base for effective programming, and utilize the principles of expanded learning including both academic and enrichment opportunities that help support the whole child. </p><p>In Idaho, for example, an evaluation of out-of-school time programs made possible by COVID-relief funds found positive academic and social impacts. For example, 87 percent of families say the program helps their child succeed academically. More than nine in ten families say that their child enjoys attending the program and is gaining new experiences in it. In Tulsa, the school district developed a four-week summer program for 10,000 students in K-12 grades that offered a variety of activities including gardening, robotics, field trips, and academic enrichment. Students participating in the summer 2021 program showed gains in grade-level reading and math proficiency, respectively, on Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) assessments.</p><p>If you have tapped into federal pandemic relief funding to expand, enhance, or develop a new afterschool or summer learning program that embodies partnership, whole-child support, and evidence based practices, we encourage you to tell your story and be included on the map. To be featured, share your example using the <a href="https://engageeverystudent.org/join-us/#pledge" target="_blank">Engage Every Student pledge form</a>.<br></p> | | School/OST Partnerships Help Kids Thrive, Thanks to Pandemic Funding | https://www.wallacefoundation.org/News-and-Media/Blog/Pages/school-ost-partnerships-help-kids-thrive-thanks-to-pandemic-funding.aspx | 2023-06-15T04:00:00Z | Your source for research and ideas to expand high quality learning and enrichment opportunities. Supporting: School Leadership, After School, Summer and Extended Learning Time, Arts Education and Building Audiences for the Arts. | | |
| Keeping the Lights On for Afterschool | GP0|#b804f37e-c5dd-4433-a644-37b51bb2e211;L0|#0b804f37e-c5dd-4433-a644-37b51bb2e211|Afterschool;GTSet|#a1e8653d-64cb-48e0-8015-b5826f8c5b61 | <p>This week, in more than 8,000 communities across the country and at U.S. military bases worldwide, afterschool programs will open their doors to showcase the skills students gain and the talents they develop at their afterschool programs. We expect more than a million people to participate in
<a href="http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm" target="_blank">Lights On Afterschool</a>, the only national rally for afterschool.</p><p>This event began 19 years ago, when afterschool programs were little known but badly needed. In those days, most people could quickly and easily articulate the need for afterschool programs, but few knew what the term meant. A weekly chess club? Seasonal football or cheerleading practices? A monthly volunteer activity? </p><p>
<img class="wf-Image-Left" alt="group_of_kids_at_table.jpg" src="/News-and-Media/Blog/PublishingImages/group_of_kids_at_table.jpg" style="margin:5px;width:425px;" />Neither policymakers nor educators had reliable information about where the country’s children were and what they were doing each afternoon after school closed. Police and prosecutors knew too many were unsupervised and on the streets. First responders and health care providers knew too many were at risk for substance abuse, sexual activity and other dangerous behaviors. Educators knew not enough were getting homework help and enriching, engaging activities. Business and college leaders knew they weren’t using that time to hone the communications and team-building skills that ready them for jobs or college. And millions of parents knew–all too well–the anxiety that came with crossing your fingers each afternoon, hoping against hope that your kids would be okay until you got home from work.</p><p>All that has changed. </p><p>Today, more than 10 million children are in afterschool programs. By overwhelming majorities, the public recognizes that these programs provide comprehensive supports and activities that improve students’ prospects in school and in life, boost families, make communities safer and strengthen our workforce, according to a
<a href="http://afterschoolalliance.org/research.cfm" target="_blank">national public opinion survey</a> the Afterschool Alliance released this week.
<a name="_Hlk526952191"></a></p><p>
<img class="wf-Image-Right" alt="Balloons-and-teen-students-.jpg" src="/News-and-Media/Blog/PublishingImages/Balloons-and-teen-students-.jpg" style="margin:5px;width:406px;" />What got us here? A combination of factors, including afterschool providers, educators and school system leaders who were willing to advocate for the programs they knew children and families needed;
<a href="/knowledge-center/after-school/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">a growing body of research</a> documenting the benefits afterschool and summer learning programs provide; strong policies that built on that research; and a field that has been receptive and innovative in both applying lessons from research into practice and finding new ways to engage students in learning. We can actually see evidence of these factors at work during Lights On Afterschool this month. Students nationwide are showing off the skills they’re learning after school, from engineering robots to public speaking to performing music and plays they wrote themselves. </p><p>Many Lights On Afterschool events feature mayors and city leaders, who have emerged as champions of programs that give working parents peace of mind, reduce juvenile crime and engage businesses in preparing the workforce of tomorrow. And nearly every governor has issued a proclamation in support of Lights On Afterschool Day. </p><p>We have a lot to be proud of, but we also have a long way to go. While programs have stepped up, and more elected officials recognize the value of these programs, demand for afterschool and summer options still far outpaces supply. Most families today need afterschool and summer programs, but for every child in an afterschool program, two more are waiting to get in.</p><p>Where will we be in another 19 years? We certainly hope that, before long, no child will be without the afterschool program she or he needs. But whether that happens depends on all of us. Business, philanthropy, government, communities and parents each have a role in play in charting the course of afterschool and summer programs. It is my sincere hope that by 2040, afterschool and summer are treated as the integral part of a child’s education we know them to be. </p>
<em>Jodi Grant is executive director of the </em>
<a href="http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/" target="_blank">
<em>Afterschool Alliance</em></a><em>.</em> | | Keeping the Lights On for Afterschool | https://www.wallacefoundation.org/News-and-Media/Blog/Pages/Keeping-the-Lights-On-for-Afterschool.aspx | 2018-10-23T04:00:00Z | Annual Lights On Afterschool Event Highlights the Benefits and Value of Afterschool Programs Across the U.S. | | |