Afterschool
Eight million children ages 5-14 go home to an empty house on a regular basis. For cities across America, these unsupervised hours mean heightened risks and missed opportunities. Most juvenile crime is committed from 2:00-8:00 p.m. The afterschool hours are also prime times for teenage drug and alcohol use and other risky behaviors. Afterschool programs provide a safe environment where youth can engage in fun and constructive activities, reassure working parents that their children are supervised by caring adults, reinforce in-school learning, and offer physical activity and nutritious meals or snacks.
- Minnesota: March 21 in St. Paul (registration info for city officials, school district officials, and county officials)
- North Carolina: April 16-17 in Charlotte (registration form)
- Washington: May 10 in Federal Way and May 15 in Cheney (registration information)
- Virginia: June 6 in Richmond (registration form)
- Maryland: June 25 in Ocean City (to be held during the Maryland Municipal League convention)
- Oregon: July 26 in Florence (information to be posted on the Oregon ASK website)
- Louisiana: August 2 in Lake Charles (information to be posted on the Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning website)
- Pennsylvania: September, date and location TBD (information to be posted on thePennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network website)
- Nebraska: September in Kearney, date TBD (information to be posted on the League of Nebraska Municipalities website)
New Toolkit for Cities on Building Management Information Systems to Coordinate Afterschool Programs
This new report developed by the YEF Institute offers municipal leaders a detailed guide for building management information systems in order to coordinate local afterschool programs more effectively. Building Management Information Systems to Coordinate Citywide Afterschool Programs: A Toolkit for Cities (pdf) includes a wealth of information and advice for city leaders and a growing library of online resources
Witnessing Child Hunger Firsthand and Tapping Federal Funding for Afterschool Meals
With the expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program to all 50 states, public and nonprofit afterschool providers are taking advantage of federal reimbursement for meal programs to combat hunger and obesity, which affects millions of disadvantaged children who rely on school breakfasts and lunches but lack access to healthy meals outside of school.
NLC to Assist 11 Cities in Combating Childhood Hunger
As part of the Cities Combating Hunger through Afterschool Meal Programs (CHAMP) initiative, NLC has selected 11 cities to receive grant funding and practical guidance as they take steps to increase children’s participation in the federal Afterschool Meal Program.
City Leaders Address Challenges to Building Citywide Afterschool Systems
At a recent meeting in New York City, nine cities that are among the most advanced in their efforts to coordinate afterschool opportunities for children and youth discussed challenges to building citywide afterschool systems.
City Officials Learn How to Combat Child Hunger with Expanded Federal Program
Local leaders from 21 cities received an in-depth primer on the nuts and bolts of the newly-expanded federal Afterschool Meal Program at two recent leadership academies hosted by NLC.
If you are a municipal leader who lives in Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia or Washington, your statewide afterschool network will soon partner with your state municipal league to host a Statewide Mayoral Summit on Afterschool/Expanded Learning. Summits will take place in the following locations:
NLC's Institute for Youth, Education and Families, aided by a grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation, is working with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) to help city leaders connect their residents with the federal Summer Food Service Program.
Wallace Foundation to Invest $7.8 Million in Nine City Afterschool Systems
The YEF Institute will help coordinate the four-year initiative to provide more children and youth with high-quality afterschool programs.
Apply Now for Leadership Academy on Combating Child Hunger through the Federal Afterschool Meal Program
As part of a $1 million initiative supported by The Walmart Foundation, NLC will partner with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) to host two leadership academies that will help city leaders learn how to combat child hunger by increasing participation in the newly-expanded federal Afterschool Meal Program. Additionally, NLC will be offering grants of up to $60,000 per city later this year to a small group of competitively selected cities to help launch and expand the Afterschool Meal Programs in their communities.
Download the request for proposals to apply | Learn more
Cities Support Annual Lights On Afterschool Events
On October 20, 2011, thousands of communities celebrated Lights On Afterschool, the nation's largest rally for afterschool programs. Municipal leaders played an active role in sponsoring events and issuing proclamations in support of Lights On Afterschool Day, recognizing the potential of afterschool programs to provide safe places for children, reduce juvenile crime, impact school dropout rates and support working parents.
NLC Research Report Finds Citywide Approaches to Afterschool Spreading Across the Country
A new report published by NLC's Institute for Youth, Education and Families and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation highlights a growing trend in communities nationwide: the emergence of comprehensive, citywide afterschool systems for children and youth. "Municipal Leadership for Afterschool: Citywide Approaches Spreading across the Country" identifies 27 cities that are among the most advanced in their efforts to coordinate afterschool opportunities and shows how these efforts are yielding concrete academic and public safety improvements.
Hours of Opportunity Report Highlights Five Citywide Afterschool Systems
An NLC special report highlights critical insights from "The Hours of Opportunity: Lessons from Five Cities on Building Systems to Improve After-School, Summer School and Other Out-of-School Time Programs." Published by RAND Education and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, the "Hours of Opportunity" report documents progress and challenges faced by five cities - Boston, Chicago, New York City, Providence (R.I.), and Washington, D.C. - that developed citywide afterschool systems with the foundation's support.
Special report | Hours of Opportunity report
New NLC Strategy Guide on Using Data to Improve Afterschool Programming
With support from The Wallace Foundation, the YEF Institute and the Harvard Family Research Project have published a new strategy guide on "Collecting and Using Information to Strengthen Citywide Out-of-School Time Systems." The guide highlights six strategies for gathering and using reliable data to assess and improve afterschool programming.
Nine States Selected to Host Mayoral Summits on Afterschool Learning Opportunities
The YEF Institute, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and The Wallace Foundation, has selected nine statewide afterschool networks from across the country to host a second round of mayoral summits on expanding access to afterschool programs and building citywide out-of-school time (OST) systems: Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
Michigan Mayors Showcase Successful Citywide Afterschool Efforts
Mayors, state and city agency directors and young people gathered in Dearborn, Mich., in September 2010, to participate in a statewide mayoral summit on afterschool and expanded learning. "The Michigan Mayoral Summit: Helping Our Youth Succeed in the Workforce" was sponsored by the Michigan After School Partnership (MASP) as a pre-conference session at the Michigan Municipal League's (MML) annual convention.
South Carolina Mayors Set Goals for Expanding Afterschool Learning
More than 75 municipal and school district officials from cities and towns across South Carolina gathered in Charleston, S.C., on July 15, 2010, to participate in a statewide mayoral summit on afterschool and expanded learning. The event was sponsored by the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance (SCAA) in partnership with NLC, the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC), Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
