FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Brownfield
Communications Officer
The Wallace Foundation
(212) 251-9861
ebrownfield@wallacefoundation.org
THE WALLACE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES UPCOMING STUDY TO ADDRESS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP: THE TRUE COSTS OF HIGH-QUALITY OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME PROGRAMS
The Finance Project and Public/Private Ventures Awarded Two-Year Research Grant
NEW YORK, New York, January 12, 2006 – The Wallace Foundation has awarded a two-year, $600,000 grant to The Finance Project and Public/Private Ventures to jointly conduct a study of the costs of high quality out-of-school time (OST) programs.
The results of their research will be published in the fall of 2007. For more information about this study, including an executive summary of an out-of-school time literature review, please go here: http://www.financeproject.org/documents/Revisedexecutivesummary.pdf
“In order to make sound investments in out-of-school time, public officials, as well as program providers and policy makers, need up-to-date information about the costs and quality implications of a menu of OST options,” said Jeanne B. Mullgrav, Commissioner of The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. “The lack of information can be an obstacle to planning, and I look forward to research that will help fill in the missing pieces.”
“The Wallace Foundation’s experience in working with cities to enhance OST for kids has shown the need for credible research on the true costs of high-quality programs,” said Nancy Devine, Director of The Wallace Foundation’s Arts and Communities programs. “By supporting this study and making it available to the OST field, The Wallace Foundation will address a critical knowledge gap—a gap that may be standing in the way of children receiving the benefits of participating in high quality out-of-school activities.”
The funds from the New York-based philanthropy will commission a reference guide to provide information on the costs of various types of OST programs offered in different settings, by different providers, and with different goals. It will also examine the implications of other types of program characteristics, such as staff-youth ratios, total size, and staffing patterns, on cost.
The Finance Project and Public/Private Ventures, chosen through a competitive process to conduct the study, will perform a multi-component, two-year analysis of the costs of high-quality OST programs. The research team will include Cheryl Davis Hayes, Executive Director, and Sharon Gennis Deich, Associate Director, The Finance Project; and Jean Baldwin Grossman, Senior Vice President of Public/Private Ventures.
The Wallace Foundation is committed to enabling more children to receive the benefits of participation in high-quality out-of-school activities. To achieve that goal, the Foundation has implemented Learning in Communities in Providence, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Through this initiative, Wallace seeks to help these communities use their scarce resources more effectively to make the out-of-school hours a time of enrichment rather than of boredom and risk, especially for young people who lack access to quality learning experiences. As part of its commitment to sharing knowledge about surrounding children with opportunity, it has commissioned a variety of publications on out-of-school learning, including the recent Public Agenda report, All Work and No Play? Listening to What Kids and Parents Really Want from Out-of-School Time and Making Out-of-School-Time Matter: Evidence for an Action Agenda from the RAND Corporation.
For more information about these and other Wallace Foundation publications, visit the Knowledge Center at
www.wallacefoundation.org.
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The Finance Project is a specialized nonprofit firm for public and private sector leaders nationwide. Through its work with states, communities, community-based organizations and their public- and private-sector funders, The Finance Project helps leaders make smart investment decisions, develop sound financing strategies and management systems, and build solid partnerships that benefit children, families, and communities. For more information on the resources of The Finance Project visit www.financeproject.org or call 202-587-1000.
Public/Private Ventures is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness of social policies, programs and community initiatives, especially as they affect youth and young adults. We do so by assessing promising approaches and distilling their critical elements, as well as field testing the building blocks of effective practice. For more information on Public/Private Ventures visit www.ppv.org or call 215-557-4400.
The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national foundation dedicated to supporting and sharing effective ideas and practices that expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people. Its three current objectives are: strengthening education leadership to improve student achievement; enhancing out-of-school learning opportunities; and expanding participation in the arts and culture. More information and research on these and other related topics can be found at The Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center at
www.wallacefoundation.org or by calling 212-251-9700.