Mentoring and Afterschool:A Powerful Combination

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• Making the Case:• What is Afterschool?• Afterschool Outcomes

• Making the Connection: • Mentoring Afterschool

•Policy Matters• Issues Facing Afterschool Programs

• Advocating for Afterschool & Mentoring

What We’ll Cover

Making the Case:What is Afterschool?

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• 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

What is Afterschool?

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America After 3 PM

America After 3PM2009 Compared to 2004

National Percentages

2009 2004

Kids in Afterschool Programs 15% 11%

Kids in Self Care 26% 25%

Kids in Sibling Care 14% 11%

Parents Satisfied with Afterschool Program 89% 91%

Kids Who Would Participate if a Program were Available 38% 30%

Kids in Summer Learning Programs 25% --

• 8.4 million kids participate in afterschool programs

• 15.1 million kids on their own after school

• Economy is having an impact

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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*

Making the Case:Afterschool Outcomes

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Academic BenefitsImproved 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

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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

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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.

Benefits to the Community

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• 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

Key Messages

Making the Connection:Mentoring in Afterschool

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“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.

Mentor Placement in Afterschool Programs

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AfterschoolSome 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.

MentoringAs 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.

Bridging the Gap

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“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.

Bridging the Gap

Policy Matters:Issues Facing Afterschool Programs

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Variety of Federal Funding Streams

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21st CCLC Funding

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012$0

$200,000,000

$400,000,000

$600,000,000

$800,000,000

$1,000,000,000

$1,200,000,000

$1,400,000,000

$1,600,000,000

$1,800,000,000

$2,000,000,000

$2,200,000,000

$2,400,000,000

$2,600,000,000

Amount Appropriated Amount Authorized

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Appropriations

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• 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

ESEA Reauthorization

Advocating for Afterschool &

Mentoring

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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?

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• Start a letter / email campaign• Arrange a meeting between parents and district staff.•Attend the Afterschool for All Challenge

Raise your voices – contact Congress/local officials

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Arrange a site visit

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Host a Lights On Afterschool Event

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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

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Spread the Word with Social Media

Thank you!Alexis Steines

Field Outreach ManagerAfterschool Alliance

asteines@afterschoolalliance.org202-347-2030

Greta Poku-AdjeiAmeriCorps VISTA Leader

Afterschool Alliancegpoku-adjei@afterschoolalliance.org

202-348-2030