SOWA Live (So Alive!) - Policy News

Engaging Policy Makers in Expanded Learning Opportunities

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:25:00 -0700

by Amanda Scott Thomas, Education Policy Director

On Thursday, January 12^th, School’s Out Washington (SOWA) was invited to present before the Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee for the House of Representatives in Olympia, Washington. Legislators got an overview of Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs), the Supporting Student Success-S3 Initiative as well as our work on the development of a new state plan for Afterschool and Youth Development (AYD). Legislators heard from SOWA staff and our partners Jonelle Adams of the Washington State School Directors Association and Jeff Soder from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instructions who spoke about their organizational interest and support for incorporating ELOs into our education system.

Passionate and committed education champion, Representative Kathy Haigh (35th District) and Chair of the Committee, spoke about the importance of quality in afterschool-programming that best supports Washington youth. Representative Sharon Tomiko-Santos (37^th District) commented on the importance of diversity amongst teachers and caring adults working with students. While School’s Out Washington is working to ensure equitable access to opportunity for all children and youth, SOWA recognizes that 55% of youth who are participating in afterschool and youth development programs in Washington State are youth of color; the 2012 AYD state plan will make field-level policy recommendations while highlighting ELOs as an educational equity strategy. Our work will showcase evidence-based programs that intentionally align activities and support for academic outcomes for children and youth, particularly youth of color, from low income families and those for whom English is a second language. The Legislative Work Session was another great stepping stone for Afterschool and Youth Development as an important element of effective and efficient education policy.

Resources:

For more information, contact: Amanda Thomas, Education Policy Director at 206-336-6922 or athomas@schoolsoutwashington.org.

A Day of Learning and Advocacy Training

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:41:00 -0700

by Virginia Eader, School's Out Washington MSW Student Intern

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the League of Education Voters Education Advocacy Training on Saturday. It was exciting to see such a great turnout of educators, non-profit leaders, parents, and community members invested in making change in our public education system. I was very encouraged by the overall alignment of the presentations/discussions with the work SOWA is doing around addressing the achievement gap in Washington by looking at racial equity.

I’d like to highlight a few of the workshops I attended.

The first workshop was on School Pushout, which included a presentation on the School-to-Prison pipeline- giving a brief history lesson on the rise of zero tolerance policies, increased school discipline/out of school suspension rates, and the harsh affects these have on students. We ended with a discussion on what some schools and communities are doing to change things.

In another workshop I heard from a member of Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS) about the details of the McCleary case and the recent Supreme Court finding that Washington state isn’t meeting their constitutional obligation to amply fund public education.

I also had the opportunity to learn about the work the Lincoln Center in Tacoma is doing to close the achievement gap through Expanded Learning Opportunities, as well as the amazing work of Tukwila Schools in supporting immigrant and refugee students through parent engagement and a strong community support network.

Lastly, I attended an information session on Charter Schools. It was interesting to hear thoughts from both sides of the table. There will be a public forum in Seattle on January 17, 2012 to continue the conversation.

You can access the Education Advocacy presentation handouts from some of the workshops at the League of Education Voters website and sign up to receive email updates and action alerts.

Debate on Length of School Day

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:19:00 -0700

Janet Frieling, Network Director, commented on two nationally focused articles last week regarding increases in the length of the school day. She wrote to describe the benefits of high quality afterschool, the situation in Washington State, and to clarify different uses of "expanded learning."

From today's Afterschool Snack, the blog of the Afterschool Alliance: "Should Schools Have Longer Days at the Expense of Afterschool?"

"That was the topic of a debate in The Washington Post's Answer Sheet blog last Wednesday. The entry featured a point-counterpoint between Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant and Jennifer Davis of the National Center on Time and Learning on using 21st Century Community Learning Center program funds to extend the length of the school day at the expense of afterschool programs." Continue reading the Afterschool Alliance's full blog entry on the debate...

Janet's Response:

"I agree that our children and youth deserve a much better education than what is currently being offered in most schools across our country however I am not convinced that extending the time within the current model will get us the results we so desperately need. Afterschool and youth development programs funded with 21st Century Community learning center dollars are currently offering experiential learning opportunities to thousands across the country. There are very few dedicated resources to support this effort of aligned and supportive learning done in partnerships with schools and community based organizations. Let's not take away critical resources that have a proven track record to invest in efforts that can be covered with other funding sources and may or may not deliver results." (As posted in Washington Post comments).

Lucy N. Friedman, president of TASC (The After-School Corporation.), also discussed the issue last week on 50can.org in a post "Twelve Reasons to Expand Learning Time":

"ExpandED Schools is a promising approach to re-inventing public schools that are struggling to deliver on the promise of high-quality education for all students. We add roughly three hours to the traditional school day by partnering schools with experienced community youth-serving organizations, like YMCAs, that fully participate in planning and staffing the longer learning day." Continue...

Janet's response:

"If all states had charter schools, additional financial resources and strong community based partners this is a truly an innovative idea. In Washington State, we support 'expanded learning opportunities' that are delivered outside of the traditional school day and as one of many supports that can help youth succeed in life. We have many programs in our state that use innovative learning methods and complement the school day content because community based organizations have strong integrated partnerships. In many of our communities resources for longer school days are just not possible and many are looking at shortening the school week to cut costs. We need to do a better job of delivering a high quality educational experience.

Indeed, we know that schools can't do everything as Ms. Friedman points out, yet both the afterschool and the in-school professionals play equally important and unique roles in student success. It would be wonderful if all kids in all schools had access to the resources that ExpandEd school have!"

December Updates

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:11:00 -0700

By Danielle Baer, Communications & Grants Manager

While traffic lightens and schedules wind down with the holiday season underway, there is a lot happening at the state and federal level that will impact the afterschool and youth development field in Washington State. First off, earlier this week, Washington State was awarded a $60 million Race to the Top grant to support early learning system building efforts in our state. We were one of nine states to receive the grant out of 35 applicants.This is a huge victory for our state!

The grant will help build statewide systems that affect our overall early learning system, including school-age child care. As a member of the Early Learning Action Alliance, a statewide coalition of organizations working to strengthen early learning supports and systems, and in partnership with the Department of Early Learning, School’s Out Washington will take an active role in ensuring school-age care is included in the systems building work.

At the federal level, Congress released an FY 2012 omnibus spending bill which includes a .189% spending cut across the board to most federal programs, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The Afterschool Alliance worked hard with Congressional members to fine tune language around allowing 21st CCLC funds to be used for a longer school day specifying that efforts to extend the school day should “align with and complement, rather than replicate, the regular school day by offering a range of activities that capture student interest and support student engagement to promote higher class attendance, reduce risk for retention or dropping out, and include activities that promote good health.” View a table of funding allocations for programs impacting the out-of-school time field and learn more about federal policy on the Afterschool Alliance’s website.

On a more personal note, today is my last day before heading out on maternity leave. I’m patiently awaiting the arrival of my second child. While I prepare for sleepless nights, the joys of the newborn days and the stresses of arranging for child care, I can’t help but think about all the policies in place that could use revisions and improvements to truly call ourselves a nation that puts families first. Did you know:

• In the U.S., 49% of mothers cobble together paid leave following childbirth by using sick days, vacation days, disability leave, and maternity leave.
• 51% of new mothers lack any paid leave -- so some take unpaid leave, some quit, some even lose their jobs.
• The U.S is one of only 4 countries that doesn't offer paid leave to new mothers -- the others are Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho.
(data from momsrising.org)

A system that supports mothers throughout their pregnancy and supports families as their raise their children in their early through school years is critical to our future. While I experience firsthand in my personal life the early childhood years, my work at School’s Out Washington reminds me everyday that young people need continued support throughout their childhood and education to stay engaged in school and make positive choices to help them on their pathway towards a successful future.

Especially in light of the growing disparities we see that negatively impact youth of color and low-income youth, we need interventions at the ground level and systems changes that demand equitable opportunities for all young people. As we close out 2011 and start a new year, we hope you’ll join us in our journey and commitment to continue moving forward in our efforts to strengthen and unite the afterschool and youth development field with the end goal of supporting young people in achieving their dreams.

Students Speak Up Against Budget Cuts

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:55:00 -0700

By Danielle Baer, Communications & Grants Manager

Last week, hundreds of Garfield High School students in Seattle walked out of class in protest against proposed cuts to education funding during the special legislative session called by Governor Gregoire this month. As a Garfield alum, I was proud to see fellow bulldogs standing up for what they believe in and speaking out against further cuts that are having a real impact on their day to day educational experience.

As we advocate on behalf of young people and providing access to quality expanded learning opportunities, afterschool, youth development and summer programs, we need to remember to listen to youth voice and provide opportunities for their input to be heard. Over the past few years, many people have become desensitized to hearing about budget cuts. What’s another billion in a deficit of trillions? What does it really mean? But when students take to the streets and tell us firsthand what education cuts mean to their lives and their futures, the message resonates in a concrete way and makes a real impact.

Just this week, the Children’s Alliance and Washington State Budget & Policy Center released their Kids Count in Washington 2012 report including more data on the persistent achievement gap in Washington State and its disproportionate impact on Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic and American Indian students. Further cutting education is not going to help narrow this gap and provide opportunities for all young people to thrive in school and life.

Over the course of the next few months, we will be supporting efforts to preserve safety net services such as high quality afterschool and youth development programs, food and nutrition programs, health care programs, employing training programs and a strong educational system that prepares children and youth to enter the future workforce. Stay tuned for our 2012 legislative agenda and sign-up for our Washington Afterschool Network email alert system for regular updates and opportunities to take action on budget and policy issues during the 2012 legislative session. As young people take risks and take to the streets, we need to support their actions and speak up to preserve essential services for children, youth and families.

Photos by Joshua Trujillo of the SeattlePI.com.

Click here to see Joshua's photo slideshow

Shortening the School Year is Not the Answer

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:22:00 -0700

By Janet Frieling, Network Director

I read with interest the article in the Seattle times the other day saying that Washington school superintendents are pushing for a shorter school year as a budget fix. In a recent study published by The Education Trust-West, and other groups such as RAND, The National Center on Time and Learning, shortening the school calendar has dramatic impacts on those children and youth who are already struggling. Yes, times are tough and budget decisions need to reflect these unique times, but do we really want to sacrifice the ability of thousands of Washington’s children to make a livable wage?

Low income children and youth and children of color are more likely to suffer if this approach is taken. Not all families in our state will be able to supplement additional learning opportunities for their children and youth if the school year is shortened. For many, this extra time may translate to more time in front of a TV or video game, or more time hanging out at the mall with friends. Is this really the best that we can do for our kids when research clearly shows us that more quality learning opportunities need to be made available to all children and youth to allow for experiential learning, increased social and emotional development, and more time to practice putting academic theory into daily practice.

The current school year calendar is already woefully inadequate in both of these areas-do we really want to reduce learning opportunities even more? Low income families will have to make tough choices and finding high quality activities for their children if the school calendar is shortened for extra learning options will not rise to the top of their list of “must fund” items.

Other states are actually looking at increasing school schedules by partnering with community based organizations to offer quality learning time in multiple settings-especially during the summer months. Across the world, the United States' instructional calendar is already one of the shortest. This solution will only cause our kids to fall further behind and the persistent achievement gap to widen at an even greater rate. Let’s look for other solutions to our budget crisis.

Time to Take Action

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:24:00 -0700

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.

Federal & State Policy Updates

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:26:00 -0700

Last Thursday, October 20th, which coincidentally was the 12th annual Lights On Afterschool celebration, the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization bill out of committee. The bill was supported by all the committee’s Democrats, including Washington State Senator Patty Murray, and three Republicans.

A press release on Senator Murray’s website states that the bill would, “free most districts from the unsuccessful and often unfair burdens of meeting ‘adequate yearly progress’.” Senator Murray provides a broad look at the changes to No Child Left Behind included in the reauthorization legislation.

One issue that we have been tracking within the reauthorization language is around changes to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative that would allow funding currently supporting afterschool and summer learning programs to also fund a comprehensive redesign of the school day. The Afterschool Alliance spent last week working hard with some Senators on the committee to improve language to better support the 21st CCLC initiative. As a result of this advocacy effort, an amendment to the bill introduced by Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island that passed out of committee made some improvements to the 21st CCLC language by including:

1. Language that prevents a federal preference or priority on which approach (afterschool, summer learning, expanded learning for some students, expanded learning for all students) will be used.
2. A stronger requirement for partnerships with community based organizations, with only a narrow exception for rural communities for whom the requirement would be a significant hardship.
3. Clarity of existing language to ensure that either the local education agencies or nonprofit partners can be the lead fiscal agent on 21st CCLC grants.
4. New language to ensure that effective and innovative approaches to programs can be utilized by grantees.

Visit the Afterschool Alliance’s website for more information and policy updates regarding ESEA reauthorization.

Closer to home, Governor Gregoire held a press conference today addressing her proposed $2 billion in budget cuts this session. She will be releasing her supplemental budget proposal in November. The Office of Financial Management website includes proposed budget reduction alternatives by area. Under social and human services, you’ll find a proposed reduction in state funding for subsidized child care ($50 million) which would impact an estimated 4,000 children. The education area includes proposed cuts to the Department of Early Learning, K-12 and higher education including elimination of state funding for child care resource and referral, reducing levy equalization which helps property poor districts, increasing class size in grades 4-12 and many other cuts.

While these proposed cuts do not come as a big surprise, it is still devastating to see how this will impact children and families in our state. Please be sure to sign up for the Children’s Alliance Action Network and stay up to date on legislative and budget issues impacting children and youth in our state. Now more than ever, we need to speak up for vital services that support children, youth and families and make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.

Celebrate Lights On Afterschool!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:49:00 -0700

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.

New Report on Municipal Leadership for Afterschool

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:37:00 -0700

The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families has issued new research findings highlighting progress in 27 major U.S. cities in building comprehensive, citywide afterschool systems. Commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, “Municipal Leadership for Afterschool: Citywide Approaches Spreading across the Country” identifies cities that are among the most advanced in their efforts to coordinate afterschool opportunities for children and youth. Included in the 27 cities are Seattle and Spokane.

The report cites that cities are paying more attention to the needs of children and families during the afterschool hours because such programs can help city leaders confront pressing local challenges such as public safety while providing additional learning opportunities that support school success. Each of the cities in the report have made progress on six "action elements" defined as central to the sustainability of a coordinated out-of-school time approach based on a Wallace Foundation report. These six elements are:

Committed Leadership
A public or private coordinating entity
Multi-year planning
Reliable information
Expanding participation
A commitment to quality

We were happy to see two of Washington’s cities included in the report! The outgoing co-chair of the Washington Afterschool Network, Joanne Benham works for the City of Spokane as the Director of the Spokane Regional Youth Department. In her role, she has worked closely with Mayor Mary Verner to promote quality afterschool programs. Despite the tough economic times, Spokane leaders are committed to doing what they can within limited resources to work towards creating a coordinated and sustainable system of afterschool and youth development programs.

The Seattle profile highlights the Youth & Families Initiative launched in 2010 which sought input from Seattle residents to help shape the Seattle Families & Education Levy which is now up for a vote in November. The levy has funded essential services for children and youth including afterschool, youth development and summer programming. If approved, the proposed levy will double the funding from the past levy and secure resources for children and youth for the next seven years.

School’s Out Washington is a supporting organization of the campaign to renew the Seattle Families & Education Levy. We believe this funding is critical to provide expanded learning opportunities before and after school and during the summer in the city of Seattle.

We know there are other Washington cities doing great work to support afterschool and youth development programs. We are busy working on planning a Mayoral Summit in 2012 to bring together mayors and municipal leaders to learn and become inspired to create more citywide systems of support for afterschool programs across our state. We are lucky to have great models already out there to help lead the way. For more information about the mayoral summit planning process, contact Janet Frieling and be sure to take a moment to read this informative report.

State Budget Update

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:36:00 -0700

Governor Gregoire recently announced a 30-day special session beginning on November 28th. The September revenue forecast revealed a $1.4 billion drop in revenues. The Governor has already requested all state agencies submit proposals outlining 10% budget reductions as she prepares to put together her supplemental budget proposal. Her hope for the special session is pass a supplemental budget and spend the regular session focused on policy bills.

Our partners at the Early Learning Action Alliance have provided an overview of submitted recommendations for their 10% cut.

Some of the cuts proposed by the Department of Early Learning that would affect school-age children include:

• Eliminating all support for culturally relevant services ($200,000) when combined with the reduction in the first priority reduction decision package
• Eliminating all support for seasonal child care subsidies ($773,330) when combined with the reduction in the first priority reduction decision package
• Eliminating over 80% of the homeless subsidy program ($225,240) when combined with the reduction in the first priority reduction decision package
• Agency administration ($33,762)

Fortunately, the Department of Social and Health Services did not propose any additional cuts to the Working Connections Child Care program. We are hopeful this program will stay at 175% of the Federal Poverty Level after already taking a hit this past year.

Now more than ever, it’s critical to contact legislators and let them know that preserving services for children and families must be made a priority this coming session. Our state has already endured deep cuts to critical social, health and education services and we can’t take any more.

Join the Children’s Action Network to stay up to date on legislative activities and to take action for kids. Be sure to select the Washington Afterschool Network to receive alerts specific to afterschool and youth development issues.

Graduation: A Team Effort in Washington State

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:17:00 -0700

SOWA’s Working Towards MVP Status
(Most Valuable Partner)

By Amanda Thomas, Director of Education Policy

I ventured to Tumwater on Tuesday, August 2nd to attend: “Graduation: A Team Effort” Partners Group meeting at the New Market Skills Center. This state and regional collaborative effort engages Educational Service Districts, schools, parents and the community in coordinating efforts to keep kids in school and on track to graduate. The meeting was well attended by individuals representing many state agencies as well as a few state legislators. Superintendent Dorn made an appearance and encouraged the group to work together to reach a 90% graduation rate for Washington State.

First on the agenda was Dan Newell, Assistant Superintendent Secondary Education & School Improvement Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction who brought everyone up to speed and shared current dropout-related developments. In Mr. Newell’s presentation, he emphasized the need to address the whole student: academic development, career development, personal/social development as well as a young person’s family and community supports to impact positive outcomes for youth- Mr. Newell gets it!

Representative Tim Probst shared about the Pay for Actual Student Success (PASS) House Bill 1599 incentivizes schools to reduce their dropout rate with direct payments of funds for the principal to use if goals are achieved. We listened to program briefings by the four programs referenced in the Pass Act which include: the Building Bridges Program, Jobs for Washington Graduates, College Success Foundation Scholarship Programs, Opportunity Internship Program and information as to how the programs will collaborate to support a systemic approach.

Sue Furth, formerly with the Washington School Information Processing Cooperative, now a key member of the OSPI Graduation Core Team spoke about making systemic, sustainable change and how to “scale up” innovation. Sue spoke eloquently about the importance of optimizing student data and how everyone in the room played a role in student success. Plans are underway to bring Chris Dede, a Harvard emerging technology expert and author of Scaling Up Success: Lessons Learned from Technology-based Educational Improvement to Washington to work with the “Graduation: A Team Effort” Partners Group.

Greg Williamson, Director, Learning and Teaching Support for OSPI, who pretty much knows everybody and a lot or a little about everything gave an overview of the workgroup activities and facilitated the identification of themes, prioritizing of goals, groupings and tasks with a group of 60 people…no small feat but we got it done. The essential elements of a comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention and retrieval system have been determined as: an Information System, Family and Community Partnerships, Empowering Youth, Creating Support for Collective Impact and Integrated Funding. I am representing School’s Out Washington in the Community Partnership workgroup and hope to get connected to the Data/Information Systems workgroup for the purpose of adding an Afterschool Youth Development voice to the vision of ensuring the success of all learners in our great state.

Mr. Newell closed the meeting out with his rock star-like energy and spoke of the great charge ahead of us, the stellar team he’s brought together and the need for us to work in a broad-based and coordinated manner to actualize effective and efficient dropout prevention, intervention and retrieval. The next “Graduation: A Team Effort” Partners Group meeting is Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at OSPI in the Brouillet Conference Room, located on the 4th floor. Community stakeholders are encouraged to attend and get involved!

Voice Matters! People of Color in Afterschool & Education

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:08:00 -0700

By Amanda Thomas, Education Policy Director

On Thursday, July 7, 2011 I headed south to attend the Tacoma Urban League Young Professional’s (TULYP) Welcome Reception & Kick-off Celebration. The event was held to introduce the auxiliary organization to the community and to other Young Professionals in the South Sound. The theme “You Don’t Know Me, But You’d Like To!” was chosen to point out that older generations of civil rights leaders don’t know this generation, but shared that social and civic engagement are among these young leaders’ top priorities.

Special guests included the honorable Mayor Marilyn Strickland who spoke about why the Urban League is such an important organization and declared the Young Professionals are the next generation of urban leaders. President & CEO of the Tacoma Urban League Victoria Woodards, a former Young Professional herself and now Tacoma City Councilwoman, spoke on the relevance of the Urban League in her life and the impact that being a Young Professional made on her future life decisions and her pursuit of public service.

The Tacoma Urban League and through it, the Young Professionals, employ a five-point approach to provide economic empowerment, educational opportunities and the guarantee of civil rights for under-served communities, with an emphasis on African Americans. Of particular interest to me is TULYP’s initiative focused on Education and Youth Empowerment. The initiative’s goal is to ensure the education of all children by providing access to early childhood literacy, after-care programs and college scholarships.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that Washington is one the nine states where the overall achievement gap is actually growing between white students and students of color. I appreciate TULYP’s spirit of service and passion about working to engage parents and community to address “opportunity gaps” at the grassroots level.

During introductions I was able to share School’s Out Washington’s aim to share services and guidance for organizations to ensure that all young people have a safe place to learn and grow when not in school. I am eager to explore how promoting and supporting Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) might be incorporated into TULYP’s Education and Youth Empowerment strategies. Because Voice Matters to SOWA and TULYP, I look forward to partnering with this amazing group of young, urban, leaders in supporting student success!

Final 2011 Budget

Thu, 26 May 2011 11:08:00 -0700

The Washington State Legislature adjourned last night passing a final budget to conclude the 2011 legislative session. As expected, the final budget included more than $4 billion in cuts to education, health care, social and human services and other programs.

The Washington State Budget & Policy Center created a chart showing by program the budget proposals from the Governor, House and Senate and what was included in the final budget. While the cuts will be devastating, advocates across the state worked with legislative champions to preserve critical programs or decrease the amount of cuts made in the final negotiated budget.

One positive includes no further reductions to the eligibility requirements for the Working Connections Child Care program which was maintained at 175% of the Federal Poverty level. The budget also included language that if savings are achieved in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/Child Care Development Fund box, the Department of Early Learning will increase the number of slots in Working Connections Child Care.

Education was hit hard. The League of Education Voters has a detailed chart on budget outcomes for education related policy and budget issues. Some of the cuts include suspension of I-728 funds which may be used to support afterschool programs, 1.9% salary reduction for teachers, elimination of the career and wage ladder in child care centers, and elimination of K-4 class size reduction except in some high-poverty schools. These cuts will disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color and only contribute to the widening achievement gap in Washington State’s education system.

As the formal education system struggles to make ends meet, SOWA will be working hard to continue promoting the importance of expanded learning opportunities including afterschool, youth development and summer programs to provide young people with extra academic support, enrichment and other critical learning to keep them engaged and successful in school. We are especially committed to working towards closing the achievement gap and increasing access and quality of expanded learning opportunities that help level the playing field and provide opportunities for success to all students. Amanda Thomas, Education Policy Director at SOWA, will be leading us as we move forward with this focus in our work.

Advocates Gather in DC

Tue, 17 May 2011 14:07:00 -0700

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.