Mentoring and Afterschool:

1. Mentoring and Afterschool: • A Powerful Combination

2. What We’ll Cover • Making the Case: • What is Afterschool? • Afterschool Outcomes • Making the Connection: • Mentoring Afterschool • Policy Matters • Issues Facing Afterschool Programs • Advocating for Afterschool & Mentoring

3. Making the Case: • What is Afterschool?

4. What is Afterschool? • Provides a supervised, enriching environment in the hours after the school day ends • Usually offered in a school or a recreation / community center • Different from individual activities, such as sports, special lessons or hobby clubs As defined in America After 3 PM: A Household Survey on Afterschool In America, 2009

5. America After 3 PM • 8.4 million kids participate in afterschool programs • 15.1 million kids on their own after school • Economy is having an impact

6. Demand for Afterschool Programs • 2/3 of voters consider afterschool very important* • 74% of voters want their newly elected federal, state and local officials to increase funding* • 82% of school superintendents say these programs are important (NAA-Champions Survey, 2011) * Source: Afterschool Alliance Poll conducted by Lake Research Partners, November 2012*

7. Making the Case: • Afterschool Outcomes

8. Academic Benefits • Improved School Attendance, Engagement in Learning • 95% high school graduation rate for students enrolled in Project Exploration programs • Improved Test Scores and Grades • 69% of Wisconsin 21st CCLC program attendees increased their academic performance • Students at Greatest Risk Show Greatest Gains • 3,000 low-income students demonstrated significant gains in standardized math test scores after 2 years, compared to unsupervised peers – Promising After-School Programs Study

9. Social, Emotional and Behavioral Benefits • Keep Children Safe • Kids attending LA’s BEST are 30 percent less likely to be involved in criminal activities than peers. • Help Working Families • 74% of parents agreed that NYC out-of-school time programs make it easier to keep their jobs. • 73% agreed they missed less work than prior to their children’s involvement • New York City’s Out-of-School Time Programs for Youth Initiative evaluation

10. Benefits to the Community • Crime and Truancy-Related Savings • Every dollar invested in LA’s BEST saves Los Angeles $2.50 in crime-related costs. • Benefits to the Bottom Line • Worries about children’s activities in the afternoon leads to unscheduled absences and makes working parents less productive at work, costing businesses as much as $300 billion annually in lost productivity.

11. Key Messages • Afterschool programs: • Keep kids safe • Engage kids in learning • Help working families • At their best when they complement but don’t replicate the school day • Afterschool programs are also community-school partnerships

12. Making the Connection: • Mentoring in Afterschool

13. Mentor Placement in Afterschool Programs • “Afterschool programs, with their history of supporting families and communities, are an ideal platform for successful mentoring programs.” • (Afterschool: A Place for Older Youth to Mentor and Be Mentored, 2009) • The afterschool space serves as a way to intentionally strengthen youth-adult relationships and bring structure to mentor/mentee meetings.

14. Bridging the Gap Afterschool Some afterschool programs tend to focus on improving and strengthening their students’ academic abilities, causing them to neglect the social and emotional development that occurs when positive youth-adult relationships are formed. Mentoring As experts in the field of positive youth-adult interactions, the presence of mentors at afterschool programs could help to increase the development of the students; ultimately, helping afterschool programs reach their goal.

15. Bridging the Gap • “Connecting youth to caring adults is one of the key factors in keeping youth involved in afterschool programs.” • (Afterschool: A Place for Older Youth to Mentor and Be Mentored, 2009) • Connecting Mentoring with Afterschool • Mentoring organizations can collaborate with afterschool programs to ensure that every student is in contact with an adult. • Mentors could be used to staff afterschool programs by putting them in charge of one-on-one or small group activities.

16. Policy Matters: • Issues Facing Afterschool Programs

17. Variety of Federal Funding Streams

18. 21st CCLC Funding

19. Appropriations

20. ESEA Reauthorization • House: • Student Success Act block grants afterschool funding • Passed House in July • Senate Health, Education, Pensions & Labor Committee: • Protects 21st CCLC funding but would divert some funds to school redesign/longer school day • Major differences to be resolved – doesn’t seem likely

21. Advocating for Afterschool & Mentoring

22. Developing an Advocacy Action Plan • Things to think about: • What are your immediate goals? Long-term, short-term, immediate? • Who are your allies? Who supports summer learning or afterschool in your community? • Who are you targeting? • How do you plan to get the attention of each target?

23. Raise your voices – contact Congress/local officials • Start a letter / email campaign • Arrange a meeting between parents and district staff. • Attend the Afterschool for All Challenge

24. Arrange a site visit

25. Host a Lights On Afterschool Event

26. Invite the media • Plagiarize freely! – from our website • Create a media list • Identify 2-3 key messages • Structure events with media in mind • Appeal to the press, build relationships • Issue press releases • Develop press kits

27. Spread the Word with Social Media

28. Thank you! Alexis Steines Field Outreach Manager Afterschool Alliance asteines@afterschoolalliance.org 202-347-2030 Greta Poku-Adjei AmeriCorps VISTA Leader Afterschool Alliance gpoku-adjei@afterschoolalliance.org 202-348-2030