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.
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.
Municipal Leadership for Afterschool: Citywide Approaches Spreading across the Country (2011)
Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, this NLC report highlights a growing trend in communities nationwide: the emergence of comprehensive, citywide afterschool systems for children and youth. The report 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.
Collecting and Using Information to Strengthen Citywide Out-of-School Time Systems (2011)
Published with support from The Wallace Foundation, this strategy guide developed by the YEF Institute and the Harvard Family Research Project highlights six strategies for collecting and using data to assess and improve local afterschool programs.
Strengthening Partnerships and Building Public Will for Out-of-School Time Programs (2010)
Published with support from The Wallace Foundation, this guide describes key strategies that city leaders can use to generate support for access to high-quality out-of-school time activities.
The State of City Leadership for Children and Families: Innovations and Trends in Afterschool (2009)
The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families identifies the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive. This chapter highlights the broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership around afterschool.
Full report (PDF) | Afterschool chapter
Financial Strategies to Support Citywide Systems of Out-of-School Time Programs (2009)
This strategy guide, made possible by support from The Wallace Foundation, describes options that city officials may consider for supporting and sustaining local programs.
Cities and Statewide Afterschool Networks Partnering to Support Afterschool (2009)
This guide, published with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, features examples of how municipal leaders are working with the 38 statewide afterschool networks to influence state afterschool funding and policies and to strengthen local programs.
Action Kit on Expanding Afterschool Opportunities (2002)
This action kit outlines the many ways in which municipal leaders can craft a strategy to expand afterschool opportunities, and in the process, advance the goals of public safety, academic achievement, and youth development in their cities.
More afterschool tools and resources
Afterschool Policy Advisors Network (APAN)
Formed in 2006, the Afterschool Policy Advisors Network (APAN) is a national peer learning network of municipal leaders working to create or expand citywide systems of high-quality afterschool opportunities for children and youth. This network helps local elected officials and senior municipal staff promote afterschool opportunities in their cities and nationally by sharing research, tools and best practices. The network is made possible by the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and The Wallace Foundation.
Subscribe to the network
Statewide Mayoral Summits on Afterschool/Expanded Learning Initiative (2009-12)
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 building citywide out-of-school time (OST) systems: Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. The first round of summits were hosted in 2009-10 in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan and South Carolina with support from the Mott Foundation.
City Leaders Supporting Afterschool and a New Day for Learning Project (2008-09)
Supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, this project helped municipal leaders build citywide afterschool systems in Albany, N.Y.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Omaha, Neb.; St. Paul, Minn.; Tampa, Fla.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Vancouver, Wash.
City Leaders Engaged in Afterschool Reform Project (2005-07)
Supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, this project helped cities build citywide afterschool systems in Alexandria, Va.; Baton Rouge, La.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Boise, Idaho; Denver, Colo.; Florence, S.C.; Las Cruces, N.M.; and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Integrating Education and Afterschool Project (2003-05)
Supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, this project helped city leaders use afterschool programs to raise student achievement in Brockton, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Little Rock, Ark.; Norfolk, Va.; Pasadena, Calif.; and Waco, Texas.
Municipal Leadership for Expanded Learning Opportunities Project (2001-04)
This 30-month project supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation helped city leaders develop and implement strategies for expanding learning opportunities during the non-school hours in Charlotte, N.C.; Fort Worth, Texas; Fresno, Calif.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Lincoln, Neb.; Spokane, Wash.; and Washington, D.C. Lessons from these cities' initiatives are available in the YEF Institute's report, The Afterschool Hours.
Report on The Afterschool Hours: A New Focus for America's Cities (PDF)