Statewide afterschool networksare working to connect key decision makers and resources to establish statewide structures that foster policies committed to funding and sustaining quality school-based/school-linked afterschool programming.

Background and Common Purposes

The growth of afterschool programs has significantly expanded opportunities for children and youth and raised expectations in an unprecedented way. Although there are differences reflecting local needs and interests, these programs share the following common purposes:

• Providing a safe, positive environment for children and youth during the hours
  they are most at risk;
• Raising student academic performance and strengthening youth development
  skills; and
• Building community collaborations and public/private partnerships that result in program quality and sustainability.

Whether these goals are achieved depends largely on the availability of a statewide infrastructure that provides immediate and ongoing access to high quality training and technical assistance, links organizations together in a well-designed statewide network of resources and public policy support, and increases funding. The transfer of the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to states offers a unique opportunity to initiate and/or strengthen these processes in a systematic, strategic, and cost-effective way.

While the interest in afterschool programs has increased, demand still far exceeds supply. Scaling up and sustaining successful afterschool programs will require coordinated and collaborative efforts across many public and private sectors. Statewide afterschool networks can provide the infrastructure to accomplish this important goal.

As the statewide afterschool networks continue to develop and grow, it is important to pay particular attention to the linkages between school and afterschool. Our society is growing in ways that make it more complex, and connections between afterschool and education systems will become increasingly important in the future. School-based/school-linked afterschool programs serve as an opportunity for rethinking the school day and school year, so that three vital resources — public education, community, and time — are fully mobilized in support of student learning, youth development principles, and life-long learning opportunities. To do this, strong school-community partnerships are vital to building trust and understanding among collaborators and institutions, and helping schools and communities become more effective in meeting the cognitive and other developmental needs of all students. It is the C.S. Mott Foundation's belief that these linkages are critical to affecting young people's success, and alleviating conditions connected to poverty.

In 2002, the C.S. Mott Foundation began supporting statewide afterschool networks and technical assistance to these networks through the collaborative efforts of the Afterschool Technical Assistance Collaborative, comprised of representatives from: Afterschool Alliance, Council of Chief State School Officers, Finance Project, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, National League of Cities Inc. and the College of Charleston Foundation; and, with support from Learning Point Associates and Collaborative Communications Group.

Vision of a Statewide Afterschool Network

A formal statewide afterschool network can provide a structure for bringing together key decision makers (e.g. policymakers such as governors, legislators, and mayors; educators, childcare providers, youth development workers, program developers, advocates, parents, and others) interested in improving outcomes for children and youth through school-based/school-linked afterschool programs. The long-term goal is that the network will provide intentional and meaningful bridges between leaders of schools, communities, and families in order to better support student learning imbedded in youth development principles, and life-long learning opportunities.

The networks provide an opportunity to encourage local and state policymakers to invest additional resources wisely that will expand quality afterschool opportunities focused on improving outcomes for children and families. The networks also provide a means for joint planning, sharing of resources and best practices, building bridges to and between federal, state, and local afterschool initiatives, and forging partnerships necessary for comprehensive statewide afterschool policies.

Statewide afterschool networks have the potential to provide the financial resources and guidance necessary to frame a broad vision for ensuring success of programs across their states. They serve as a driving force in bringing stakeholders together to build public will and influence public policies focused on quality and sustainability. Furthermore, they model the kinds of partnerships ultimately necessary to develop balanced and diversified funding needed to sustain high quality programs over time. This approach holds promise for building the capacity of programs — and the field — to have positive and enduring impact on literally hundreds of thousands of children and families.

Goals and Objectives of the Statewide Afterschool Networks

Goal 1: Create a sustainable structure of statewide, regional, and local partnerships, particularly school-community partnerships, focused on supporting policy development at all levels.

Objectives:

• Create a forum for communication and dissemination of ideas and resources that represent a diversity of interests in the policymaking process. The network must have the ability to propose recommendations and channel influence in meaningful ways by providing access to key decision makers.
• Make intentional linkages to education partners, to support the development of
  school-connected afterschool policy.
• Coordinate multiple afterschool efforts funded and administered through education initiatives, human service initiatives (child care), other state and local government agencies, and community-based organizations.

Goal 2: Support the development and growth of statewide policies that will secure the resources that are needed to sustain new and existing schoollinked/school-based afterschool programs.

Objectives:

• Secure additional funding for continued support of the network structure.
• Establish a base of sustainable funding for school-based/school-linked afterschool programs that is available through coordinating state and local funds and other public and private sources.
• Increase funding for school-based/school-linked afterschool programs at state, regional, and local levels.
• Explore opportunities to coordinate funding with existing education and other resources.
• Develop a communication strategy for a statewide community-driven public will plan to support sustainable school-based/school-linked afterschool.

Goal 3: Support statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.

Objectives:

• Foster a system of multiple pathways for training and technical assistance that will ensure high quality programs across the state are initiated and meet the needs of a diverse population.
• Develop a statewide system of evaluation that includes self-assessment and continuous improvement strategies and rigorous impact evaluation.
• Initiate a support network for program developers and providers that also includes the dissemination of best practices.
• Support the alignment of standards/curriculum between educational systems of quality, and afterschool systems of quality.

 Download the Vision Handout.