As part of the 2011 Lights On Afterschool celebration, the Afterschool Alliance released Afterschool Progress Reports and Consumer Guides for each state.  Washington State has made progress since 2004, with a 12% participation in afterschool programs in 2009 versus 8% in 2004. However, we still trail the national average of 15% participation.  We still have work to do despite the some progress being made.  According to the Afterschool Alliance:

Based on the FY2011 funding level and an average per student cost of $1000, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) can serve 14,597 students in Washington. However, that is only a small fraction of the 298,973 kids in Washington who are eligible to participate in a 21st CCLC program, if more funding were available.

The full progress report can be accessed from the Afterschool Alliance’s website.

We all know that a barrier to accessing high-quality afterschool programs is funding, and this is becoming even more of a harsh reality every year.   In just a couple short weeks, Washington State legislators will be convening in Olympia for a special session.  The focus will be on passing a budget for the 2012 session.  Cuts already proposed by Governor Gregoire will impact working families who rely on afterschool programs to keep their kids safe, learning and engaged after the school bell rings.  We’re facing further cuts to the Working Connections Child Care program, cuts to K-12 education funding and other social and health services that will only create more challenges for children and families in our state.

Every year, advocates for children’s issues gather in Olympia for Have a Heart for Kids Day in February, but this year due to the special circumstances, the advocacy day will be held December 2nd.   Learn more about this important event and join the Change Direction: Raise Kids Up campaign to send a message to legislators that cuts are not the answer.

The 12th annual Lights On Afterschool celebration is TODAY!  What are you doing to celebrate the importance of afterschool programs in your community? Did you remember to register your event? Would you like to find an event already happening in your community? Visit the Afterschool Alliance’s website for a listing of registered events (and to register your event) – there are currently over 50 events registered across Washington State.   And we’d love to hear about how you celebrated Lights On Afterschool.  Email Danielle with your event summary and/or pictures that captured your experience.

School’s Out Washington will be celebrating Lights On Afterschool on Monday, October 24th at an event in Yakima hosted by Northwest Community Action Center and Yakima School District.  We will hear from some great speakers including Nicole Yohalem with the Forum for Youth Investment and Yakima County Sherriff Ken Irwin as well as present our Afterschool Hall of Fame Awards to this year’s champions who include:

• Yakima County Sheriff Ken Irwin
• City of Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland
• City of Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson
• Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund
• Pam O’Brien, Educator from Olympia
• Joanne Benham, Community Leader from Spokane
• Jack Albaugh, Community Leader from Fife

Take a moment to read a news story including an interview with Sheriff Irwin about Lights On Afterschool.  

Building public will and raising awareness around the importance of afterschool programs in keeping kids safe, engaged and learning when not in school is more critical than ever.  Yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee began marking up the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of the reauthorization process.  Included in this bill is language that would drastically alter funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Center program by allowing these funds to be diverted to support the whole scale redesign of the school day. 

Senator Murray serves on this committee and it’s critical that she hear from her constituents here in Washington State about the key role that 21st CCLC funds play in supporting Washington’s kids, families and communities.   Visit the Afterschool Alliance’s website for more information on what you can do to help support 21st CCLC programs.

Lights On Afterschool is right around the corner on October 20, 2011.  On this day, communities across the country will celebrate the importance of afterschool programs in supporting young people.  The Afterschool Alliance has an event planning toolkit and other resources on their website to help get you started.   Some ideas of what you can do:

• Host an event to showcase your program to families, community members, local businesses, etc.
• Have youth performance with dance, music , poetry and other arts
• Hold a rally in a central area of your community inviting local leaders
• Engage students in letter writing campaigns to share why their afterschool program is important to them and send to local and state leaders

These are just a few ideas.  Be creative and work with the youth in your program to come up with a great celebration for your community.  It doesn’t have to be big; sharing with families, teachers or others involved with your program is a wonderful way to celebrate Lights On Afterschool.  It’s also a great opportunity to reach out to elected officials such as mayors, city council members, school board members, principals and superintendents, legislators, business leaders and other community leaders to help them see why investing in and supporting afterschool programs is critical to fostering healthy communities. 

School’s Out Washington hosts an annual statewide event and this year will be partnering with Northwest Community Action Center and Yakima School District to celebrate Lights On Afterschool at the Yakima Convention Center.  We’ll be awarding our Afterschool Hall of Fame awards to champions from across the state who’ve shown dedicated leadership in promoting the benefits and importance of afterschool programs in Washington State. 

As you start planning your event, don’t forget to register! The Afterschool Alliance tracks registration by state. So far, 25 events have been registered in Washington, but we lag behind other states like Arizona with 45, Wisconsin with 37, North Carolina with 64 and Missouri with 90.   An extra perk, if you register by Thursday, September 22, you will be entered to win 50 energy-efficient LED light bulbs thanks to Fulham Co, Inc. 

We hope you’ll celebrate Lights On Afterschool in your community – and don’t forget to register. If you’d like any assistance with ideas for your event or support with reaching out to elected officials and the media, please contact Danielle.  

On August 6th, P.e.a.c.h. Community Farm will host a morning of farm education for youth grades 4 - 12. Kids will meet the goats and chickens then help in field with planting, weeding, and harvesting. The day will be service oriented because p.e.a.c.h. needs volunteers to help bring nutritious produce to low-income Spokane families.
 
Limited to 50 participants so reserve a spot for your family or group by emailing bryan@peachlocal.com
Cost: Free
Time: 9am - noon, Saturday August 6th.
Place: 10 minutes outside Spokane at P.e.a.c.h. Community Farm, 10425 S. Andrus Rd. Cheney WA 99004.

By Janet Frieling, Network Director at School's Out WA

I had the amazing opportunity last week to moderate a  panel of true champions in their communities for afterschool and youth development programs. Each year the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) plans a conference for municipal leaders from across the state to come together and learn new approaches and ideas in managing and supporting their communities.

This year for the first time, afterschool programs were featured in two presentations. Mayors from Spokane, Pullman and Tacoma joined me in a session titled; School’s Out !-After school programs in your community. The Mayors were asked to speak about their own communities and why they have chosen afterschool as one of their key issues.

Mayor Marilyn Strickland from Tacoma proclaimed that it is every officials job to be a vocal advocate for these programs. She went on to say that building systems to support quality afterschool programs was equally important and a role that she hopes Mayors will embrace.

Mayor Glenn Johnson from Pullman said that mayors from smaller communities can still play key leadership roles by attending public events for afterschool programs and by working with local service clubs such as Rotary and Elks to partner with afterschool programs.

Mayor Mary Verner from Spokane talked about how leveraging resources between public and private businesses in service of afterschool programs is a key role for Mayors as conveners. 

It was inspirational to be in a room and hear these three local leaders discuss the benefits of afterschool programs and have practical solutions to challenges they see facing communities in supporting efforts.  The room had over 35 other leaders from communities large and small across the state. All seemed eager to hear more and to share stories of their work as well. Take a moment to visit our Media Center to access a couple news stories on the event.

This session will truly inspire our work over the coming year for something bigger at next years’ AWC Conference in Vancouver, WA. School's Out Washington was one of nine statewide afterschool networks to receive a grant from the National League of Cities to plan a Mayoral Summit in 2012. Please feel free to contact me to learn more about our efforts to build public will for afterschool programs among municipal leaders.

By Pang Chang, Refugee School Impact Grant Project Director

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 20th as World Refugee Day to increase awareness about refugees and to celebrate the contributions of refugees.  This day is celebrated around the world with various events. 

In Washington D.C., Sweet Rush, comprised of two former Somali refugees, will perform at the Kennedy Center on June 20th.  The Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations will also highlight the “Nowhere People” photo collection by Greg Constantine.  You can also view these photos of different groups from Burma, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Kenya and Ukraine under “Galleries” at www.nowherepeople.org.

This year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) campaign for World Refugee Day is using this slogan “One Refugee Without Hope Is Too Many” to encourage everyone to “Do One Thing.” 

Visit the UNHCR website for ideas on learning, spreading the word or giving.  Under the “Learn” category, there is a link for a Teacher Kit, which will lead you to a 42-page “Not Just Numbers” Teacher’s Manual on Migration and Asylum, along with photos and video clips that can be used to educate children and youth about refugees.  The manual is geared for European audiences, but can be adapted for the U.S.  Some material is highly sensitive, but the manual includes recommendations for appropriate age groups.

Locally, Lutheran Community Services Northwest is screening the film, “Moving to Mars” about two Burmese families and hosting cultural orientations on different refugee groups. “Welcome to Shelbyville” about whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Somalis in a small town in Tennessee, will be shown June 21 in South Seattle. Learn more at the Cross Cultural Health Program's website.

School’s Out Washington has the privilege of administering the Refugee School Impact Grant for Washington State.  Please visit our website for more information about our work on behalf of refugee children and youth, to view our film “Starting Again: Stories of Refugee Youth” and to connect to resources and products for serving refugee children and youth.

We hope that you will use this opportunity to increase your knowledge about refugees and to participate in community events with refugees and on behalf of refugees.  For this World Refugee Day, we join UNHCR in asking that you “Do One Thing.” 

The sun and warm weather have finally reached Western Washington and even if it’s a temporary stay, it’s starting to feel a lot like summer.  I’m sure many of you are planning and getting ready to launch your summer program.  As you start planning, don’t forget to set aside a time to celebrate Summer Learning Day!

Summer Learning Day – a nationwide advocacy celebration - is hosted by the National Summer Learning Association and marks the importance of summer learning in young people’s lives.  This day is an opportunity for summer learning programs to share with funders, families, teachers, principals, mayors, city councilmen, school boards, and others the contributions they make to the lives of children and families.

Research shows that two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower and higher income youth can be attributed to summer learning loss.  High-quality summer programs can help children and youth avoid summer learning loss and even register gains that will keep them on track for high-school graduation and productive careers.  
 
The National Summer Learning Association has an event planning toolkit and other great resources on their website, including research briefs, to support programs in planning an event. While Summer Learning Day is officially on June 21, it can be celebrated anytime during the summer.  This year, NSLA has launched an interactive map showing where events are happening across the country. Please register your event and make sure Washington State has a strong presence on the map.

To further promote the great work in Washington, School's Out Washington will be highlighting summer programs during the month of July with blog posts and videos showcasing the great learning happening across our state during the summer months.  We would love to hear about how you celebrated Summer Learning Day or what you are doing in your program and how it has impacted young people, families and the greater community.

Please contact Danielle Baer if you would like to submit a blog entry or video on your summer program, or if you have any questions.  We love pictures and we would love to hear from the youth in your programs as well! 

Today, more than 250 afterschool advocates — from providers and youth to city and state leaders — are up on Capitol Hill meeting with their Members of Congress as part of the Afterschool for All Challenge. Unfortunately this year, we don't have any School's Out folks attending in person, however, we can still have our voices heard from here at home.

Here are some ways that the Afterschool Alliance is encouraging people to get involved.

With Congress considering major budget cuts to programs that directly impact our youth, now is the time to communicate the importance of afterschool to Congress and the Administration.

• Contact your Members of Congress to add your voice to the hundreds on Capitol Hill today advocating for afterschool.
• Sign on to Afterschool for All, the national petition in support of quality, affordable afterschool programs for all children. Encourage others to sign on as well.

Visit the Afterschool Alliance's Policy and Action Center for more ways you can advocate for afterschool, whether you have two minutes, 20 minutes or a lifetime to devote to the cause.

Contact the Afterschool Alliance at 202-347-2030 or challenge@afterschoolalliance.org with any questions.

*Here's a photo of last year's Washington delegation at the Afterschool for All Challenge including our own Janet, Jackie and Sherrie.