by Bela Shah and Michael Karpman

The upcoming National City Afterschool Summit, to be held May 22-24 in Washington, D.C., will feature local and federal officials who play a strong role in shaping afterschool programs. 

At the kick-off dinner for municipal officials on May 22, Henry Johnson, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, will share his perspective on how afterschool programs improve student achievement, help working families and create stronger and safer communities. 

Members of the Congressional Afterschool Caucus are also invited to discuss their efforts to strengthen federal support for afterschool.

Mayor John Street of Philadelphia will be the summit?s keynote speaker on May 23, discussing his commitment to young people and afterschool programs in his city. 

The City of Philadelphia has taken a leadership role in creating community report cards to document the needs of children and youth. 

The Street Administration?s Children?s Investment Strategy (CIS) is an unprecedented City effort to improve the health, safety and school performance of Philadelphia?s young people.

Also on May 23, summit participants will hear from a panel that will include Mayor Jim Dailey of Little Rock, Ark.; Mayor Donald Plusquellic of Akron, Ohio; Mayor John Fabrizi of Bridgeport, Conn.; and Mayor William Euille of Alexandria, Va.

The panel will discuss the various roles mayors can play to promote and expand afterschool opportunities.

Ranging from using the bully pulpit to increase public awareness for afterschool, to convening citywide task forces to study the supply and demand, to creating partnerships with business and community leaders, mayors have led the way in creating citywide afterschool systems. 

A second panel of local officials will highlight the investments their cities have made in afterschool, the process they went through to make funding available and the outcomes they have seen as a result of supporting afterschool programs.

James Mitchell, councilmember of Charlotte, N.C., will discuss his efforts to create a partnership between the city and the school district to jointly fund a neighborhood-based afterschool program. 

Mary Ellen Caron, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services and Jeanne Mullgrav, commissioner of the New York Department of Youth and Community Development, will discuss their efforts to create citywide systems of afterschool with large scale municipal support and investment to improve opportunities for children and youth.

On May 24, Mayor Michael Coleman of Columbus, Ohio, and Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, R.I., will address municipal officials and afterschool advocates at the Afterschool Alliance?s fifth annual ?Breakfast of Champions.?

Details: To register for this event, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Bela Shah at shah@nlc.org or (202) 626-3057.