Why Are We Devaluing Community Partners at a Time When We Need Them the Most?

At Mayor Vincent Gray’s budget townhall meeting onTuesday night, a student asked the Mayor “why (did) his budget only include $3 million for out-of-school time programs?” The Mayor’s response was interesting. He explained that we shouldn’t be looking at things as “after-school vs. during school” and that the direction the District’s schools should really be moving is toward an extended day model -- one where we utilize community based-organizations to provide services and extend the amount of time students spend engaged in academic activities.

The Mayor has obviously been doing his research. The type of extended day the Mayor suggests where expanded learning opportunities exist through structured partnerships between schools and community-based organizations (CBOs) is exactly the type of model that has seen success in other jurisdictions (TASC in NYC, ProvidenceAfter School Alliance). We applaud the Mayor’s vision to implement this kind of education reform here in the District.

In fact, the District could easily achieve an extended school day model (at least at DCPS) by better utilizing the DCPS Office of Out-of-School Time Programs to leverage new and pre-existing relationships with high-quality CBOs to add valuable hours to the school day. Quality CBOs are already aligning their curriculums with that of DCPS.  They are already using contextual and activity based or experiential learning to reinforce what happens during the traditional school day. They are also showing measurable gains on student achievement, attendance and many other factors, such as health and public safety. What’s more, the current out-of-school time community in the District has a quality assurance mechanism already built in via the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC). Despite being largely defunded by the city government in recent years, CYITC could easily be revitalized in support of a larger educational reform agenda involving multiple partners.

So this all sounds like great news! Unfortunately, Mayor Gray is not following his words with actions.

Last month DCPS announced a new grant program called ProvingWhat’s Possible (PWP)  that could have very serious implications for the out-of-school time in the District.  PWP will reduce the infrastructure supporting the capacity of CBOs to get into schools, will erase many of the relationships CBOs have already established with schools and may result in simply adding on an additional half hour of instructional time rather than maintain the robust array of services and supports we currently have in place. A couple of years ago, national education analyst Elena Silva presented a caveat on the need to extend the school day in the District: “DC cannot expect to just add time and stir, and 30 minutes aday is unlikely to be enough to close the gaps that keep widening throughout the year and especially over the summer. Butif the right kinds of staffing structures and partnerships are created–--wherecommunity-based organizations, universities, and businesses are integrated into school-based learning--longer hours and an extended year shouldabsolutely be part of DC’s education plan.” We agree with Ms. Silva’s point, which makes it all the more discouraging that now more than ever community based organizations are being shut out of school buildings and devalued by our local education officials.

Improving the academic attainment and closing the achievement gap for our students are not just nice goals, they are an economic imperative for the District. Mayor Gray knows, and has made laudable investments in the District’s public education system. However, if we really want to achieve meaningful educational gains we need all hands on deck when it comes to our young people. Ideally there would be financial resources available to community and neighborhood providers, but as that seems increasingly unlikely in the current budget climate, the very least the administration could do would be to foster stronger relationships between institutions like schools and community providers. Mayor Gray’s response to the student’s question at last night’s town hall seemed to assume this was happening, so why isn’t it?

Questions about this blog post may be forwarded to Anne Abbott, DCAYA policy anlayst.

For more information on the Out-of-School time sector here in the District, please visit dc-aya.org.

Testimony from DC Hunger Solutions

Its always great to see non-traditional partners testify at budget hearings on behalf of youth programming. Below is the testimony of Alex Ashbrook, from DC Hunger Solutions on why we need a stable CYITC.

Submitted Written Testimony  

Alexandra Ashbrook, Director

D.C. Hunger Solutions

Good morning. I am Alexandra Ashbrook and I direct D.C. Hunger Solutions, an initiative of the Food Research and Action Center. Our mission is to end hunger and improve the nutrition, health, economic security, and well-being of low-income residents in the District of Columbia. I welcome this opportunity to submit testimony on the importance of out-of-school time programs as a key tool in the fight against childhood hunger.  Underscoring my comments is a dismal statistic: more than 37 percent of District households with children – the highest rate in the nation – reported experiencing food hardship (defined as not having enough money in the past 12 months to buy food for themselves or their family) according to the Food Research and Action Center’s analysis of Gallup polling data in 2010.

Many of my colleagues will be testifying on the important role of the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (CYITC) in funding out-of-school time programs— often by leveraging public and private funds—and  supporting the quality of these programs through training, best practices, and evaluation tools.  And while I concur that the District needs an entity like the CYITC to support quality out-of-school time programming, my comments will focus on how such an entity is also helping to reduce childhood hunger and improve nutrition for thousands of District children and teens. Without CYITC guiding the network of out-of-school time programs and keeping them financially afloat, D.C. could see hundreds of children lose access to nutritious meals, especially those most at risk of going hungry. 

Why?

• CYITC funding helps support afterschool and summer programs where kids are not only safe, engaged, and learning, but are also fed nutritious meals through federal nutrition programs. Afterschool and summer programs that CYITC supports are eligible for federal nutrition funding to serve meals to the children and teens in their care through the Summer Food Service Program (AKA the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program) and the Afterschool Meal Program.  By connecting thousands of children and teens to federally-funded meals, these nutrition programs not only reduce food insecurity and hunger, but improve nutrition, health, early childhood development, school achievement, and overall well-being.  If CYITC funding were not available, many of these out-of-school time programs could fold, decrease the number of children served, or cut back on the number of days or hours programs were available.  As a result, children would suffer a double loss, losing access to both enrichment programming and free meals.

• CYITC requires that all grantees receiving funding for summer programs participate in the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program, thereby wisely helping summer programs connect to federal funding.  When CYITC funds summer programs, programs agree to participate in D.C. Free Summer Meals. Because of this requirement, children and teens, particularly those who rely on free school meals, can get free breakfast and lunch when school lets out for the summer at summer programs. The programs benefit financially because CYITC monies do not have to be spent on food since food is free via the D.C. Free Summer Meals Program, which is funded by federal entitlement monies.  Finally, programs benefit because food helps draw children and teens into programs that keep them safe and engaged. This is a winning requirement made possible because CYITC funds and monitors a large number of sites.

·         CYITC could further help promote nutrition at community-based afterschool programs by serving as an Afterschool Meal Program sponsor.  Currently, CYITC does not require sites to participate in the Afterschool Meal Program.  While all CYITC funded programs located in D.C. Public Schools have access to a free supper through the Afterschool Meal Program, many community-based afterschool programs have not been able to participate in the relatively new federal Afterschool Meal Program because of administrative issues.  (The Afterschool Meal Program started in December 2009 in Washington, DC as a federal pilot.) Up until this year, smaller afterschool programs were reluctant to participate because of challenges in understanding and meeting the evolving health and safety standards necessary for program participation.  These barriers have been addressed and now smaller afterschool programs at churches, community sites, or social service agencies can meet the health and safety standards. However, while some have joined the program, many smaller afterschool programs simply do not have the administrative capacity to operate the Afterschool Meal Program. For instance, afterschool programs may not have funding to cover their meal costs prior to receiving their reimbursement, and smaller programs that operate on a shoestring budget may have trouble “fronting” the funds. Other programs may not have a kitchen or food service experience and have difficulty getting a vendor to prepare and deliver a relatively small number of meals at an affordable price.

One way to overcome these barriers is for a larger organization—such as CYITC —to sponsor Afterschool Meals for multiple afterschool programs in the community. The Family League of Baltimore City takes on this role for more than one hundred afterschool programs in Maryland, making healthy nutritious after school meals a reality for 7,000 children and teens.  This model brings in federal funds to pay for the staff time that the Family League spends on administering the program, as well as millions of dollars in funding to feed hungry children a healthy supper. Like the CYITC, the Family League of Baltimore City is a quasi-governmental nonprofit organization that works with a range of partners to develop and implement initiatives that improve the well-being of Baltimore’s children, youth and families.

By sharing best practices and helping surmount administrative hurdles, a body such as CYITC allows for a range of out-of-school time programs to more readily participate in key federal nutrition programs.  In conclusion, all children in the nation’s capital deserve and need the opportunity to benefit from afterschool and summer programs that keep them challenged, learning, and safe. 

Respectfully submitted,

Alexandra Ashbrook, Director

D.C. Hunger Solutions

1875 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 540

Washington, DC 20009

p: (202) 986-2200 ext 3019

aashbrook@dchunger.org

w: www.dchunger.org

Let's Hear It For the Parents Part Deux

Another parent testimony from Monday's CYITC budget hearing!

Good Morning Chairman Graham and members of the Committee on Human Services.  Thank you for the opportunity to testify today,

My son, Maurice, attends the Kid Power after-school program at Prospect Learning Center. The program has benefited him tremendously.

My shy little boy has blossomed into a confident young man because of the program. The Kid Power staff are extremely patient and give him the positive attention and encouragement he desperately needed.

When Maurice was 9 years old he could not read and was on a first grade reading level. Now, two years later because of participating in the Kid Power program, he is at a 4^th grade reading level. I am so grateful.

In addition to academics, Kid Power provides the students with many enrichment opportunities. He participates in gardening and cooking classes and learns about healthy eating. He gets to attend life-skills classes and learns about helping the community. He even gets to go on field trips. He has become a track superstar and has received many medals at Kid Power.  These experiences have given him the self-confidence he needs to excel in all areas of life.

Furthermore, these opportunities do not exist during the school day. Furthermore, the Kid Power programs give Maurice more hands-on learning activities that get him excited. For example, because he likes track, they designed math activities to around his running.

Therefore, I am here today to argue on behalf this program and I speak for many other parents who were not able to testify today. We believe strongly that the non-profit organizations like Kid Power should continue to be an important part of the after-school program.  When Maurice comes to Kid Power, I know he has a different environment than the school day. He actually enjoys staying after school.  As a parent, this is truly a blessing.

Let's Hear It For the Parents!

Monday's CYITC Budget Hearing was a long one, but the youth advocates showed up in force to support the "Trust" and the vital programs it supports on behalf of children and youth in the District. This following post is a copy of testimony given by Linay Foreman, a parent of participants at Kid Power DC, one of the after-school programs that CYITC funding helps keep its doors open.

Good afternoon.  My name is Linay Foreman.  Before I begin, I would like to thank Committee Chairman Graham, and all others in attendance whose passion for the youth of the district brought them to this hearing.

Over the past 3 years, my two daughters and I have had the pleasure of working with Kid Power, Inc, one of the many afterschool programs funded by the TRUST that works tirelessly to provide valuable programming to the youth of DC.  My daughters have found a place where they can express themselves and not be afraid to show how intelligent they are.  My oldest daughter has been particularly involved in one of Kid Power’s programs known as CookieTime.  This program works to instill an entrepreneurial and giving spirit in the youth that it serves by allowing kids to not only perfect their skills in the kitchen, but also become benefactors to charities not just in DC, but worldwide.  Already a deeply caring individual, my daughter has found an outlet and a forum for developing her natural abilities.  She has a network of friends in this program that she knows have her back and nurture her creativity.

As a parent, Kid Power has provided me the peace of mind to know that when school is over, my children have a safe place to do their homework and do something positive for the community.  Over the years, they’ve come home with stories of gardening and yoga, participated in organic gardening markets, and gone on numerous fieldtrips focused on broadening their horizons.  Is Kid Power a safety net for my youth so that I can be sure they are surrounded in positivity after school?  Absolutely.  However, the programs that my daughters have participated in have been far more than a safety net.

In a few years, my daughters will be either in college, or in the case of my youngest, well on her way.  I realize that this proposed budget cut will not have the effect on my daughters that it will on the youngest youth in DC.  However, as a parent and a responsible member of society and of the District of Columbia, I ask you to please look elsewhere for sources of funding before considering cutting funding from the TRUST. Our children are our strength.  PLEASE, preserve funding that builds on this universal truth.

Thank you.

Linay Foreman

Kid Power Parent

The Role of Youth Intermediaries

 Just a quick post today on some of the great research that exists around the role of youth intermediaries in other jurisdictions!

1)Intermediaries in Youth Development  and Out-of-School Time 

A Literature Review 

Prepared by Community Matters and Tracy Breslin, Intern  

from the Harvard Business School, for  

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT 

Learning in Communities / Providence 

This report, even though its from 2003, is a great overview of different youth intermediary models and their various pros and cons. Of the problems that strong intermediaries help to solve, this report outlines:

1)Absence of a Clear Mandate

2)Lack of Program Standards

3)Variation in Program Quality

4) Staff Training and Retention

5)Inadequate Facilities and Supplies

6)Lack of Dedicated and Sustainable Funding

7)Unidentified Outcomes and Accountability Measures

8) Lack of Recognition

That's quite a list and our own CYITC has definitely helped to combat the overwhelming majority of these issues since its inception! 

Another great report:

The Role of Local

Intermediary 

Organizations in the 

Youth Development Field

This report came out of the UChicago's much revered Chapin Hall Center for Children. This report cites many of the same issues facing youth serving organizations that the above report mentions and additionally cites examples of several high-functioning intermediaries including: 

• The Youth Development Institute
of the Fund for the City of New
York


• Community Network for Youth
Development—San Francisco, CA


• YouthNet, Kansas City—Kansas
City, MO 


• The Chicago Youth Agency
Partnership 


• Community Partners—Los Angeles,
CA 


• Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare
Board—Pinellas County, FL


• The Minneapolis Youth
Coordinating Board


 During this time of uncertainty for our own Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation it is SO important that we recognize the absolutely vital roles that youth intermediaries can play when properly managed and funded. Hopefully these resources are helpful for all you youth advocates out there!