by Bela P. Shah
Mayors, council members and other municipal leaders are concerned about the educational achievement and safety of youth in their communities, as well as the stress that working parents often face in balancing work and family responsibilities.
To address these issues, NLC member cities can now apply for help in creating citywide systems that support expanded learning opportunities and align in-school instruction with the learning that occurs after school.
This new afterschool reform technical assistance initiative is being offered through NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education and Families (YEF Institute).
This new effort, City Leaders Engaged in Afterschool Reform (CLEAR), will provide up to 18 months of technical assistance in selected cities with populations over 30,000.
Applications are due by June 17 for this initiative, which is funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The Request for Proposals is being mailed to the mayors and city managers of all eligible member cities this week. It can be found at www.nlc.org/iyef.
Background
The lack of available, accessible afterschool programs for young people is connected to the safety of local residents and to economic development in their communities.
Studies show that the nation is failing to give its children safe, supervised activities during the often-dangerous afternoon hours. Crime data shows that young people are most likely to commit and become victims of crime between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. They are also most likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking and using drugs during this time.
The business community knows that afterschool programs help working families be more successful at their jobs. Worker productivity rates dip at 3:00 p.m. ? the hour when school lets out ? because working parents worry about the safety and well being of their children.
A recent study estimates the cost to business to be from $496 to $1,984 per employee, per year, due to high stress about their children after school leading to decreased productivity and increased rates of absenteeism from work.
Municipal officials and citizens have increasingly recognized that the strength of their communities depends in part on the education and development of its young people. High-quality afterschool programs enhance the ability of cities to develop a well-educated workforce, increase civic engagement, support working families and reduce juvenile crime, teen pregnancy and other risky behaviors.
Phase I
In Phase I of this assistance effort, 10 to 12 cities will be chosen for a six-month period in which the YEF Institute will conduct ?opportunity scans? to assess the city?s readiness to develop a citywide system that supports afterschool.
In addition, the YEF Institute will help cities identify their strengths and challenges, assist in the development of local action plans, provide guidance and outside expertise and convene a cross-site meeting of the selected cities to facilitate exchanges of information and strategies.
Phase II
Only the Phase I cities will be eligible to apply for Phase II, which will consist of an additional 12 months of more intensive technical assistance.
Phase II is intended to help cities put lasting structures in place to create a citywide system for afterschool. Four to six cities will be selected for Phase II near the conclusion of Phase I.
Cities interested in applying for the project must submit their proposals by June 17, following the Request for Proposals requirements. Selections will be made by July 1.
?The role of afterschool programs in cities is tremendous,? said Elsie Harold, former city youth development director and current school system senior director of pupil personnel services in Norfolk, Va. ?With NLC assistance in a previous project, we implemented the Norfolk Afterschool Initiative and the Norfolk Afterschool Committee.?
?This project will help municipal leaders take prominent roles in promoting and enhancing expanded learning opportunities,? said Audrey Hutchinson, program director for education and afterschool initiatives at the YEF Institute. ?The aim is to strengthen achievement and the overall growth of young people.?
Details: For more information about NLC?s CLEAR technical assistance initiative, contact Bela P. Shah at 202-626-3057 or shah@nlc.org. Information about the research findings cited are available in a press release by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids available at http://www.fightcrime.org/releases.php?id=61 and in ?After School for All: A Call to Action from the Business Community? from Corporate Voices for Working Families available at http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/downloads/After%20School%20Statement.pdf.