Help keep students safe afterschool and during the summer​

Remind your legislators that afterschool and summer learning programs help keep kids safe and cultivate student success.

When the school bells ring across Washington state today, a few kids will leave school to spend their afternoon with a parent or caregiver. More will go home, or hang out with their friends until their parents return from work. Not nearly enough will walk into a high-quality afterschool program that supports their learning and teaches the soft skills necessary for success after graduation.

Afterschool and summer learning programs help keep kids safe and cultivate student success. High-quality afterschool programs have been proven to decrease criminal or risky behaviors and aggression, while improving social skills and self-confidence. Especially for older youth, participation in afterschool programs increases their school attendance and graduation rates.

A national poll released by the Afterschool Alliance in October 2018 shows that nearly nine in ten adults – including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans – say they believe afterschool programs are important to their communities. Two in three say they want their federal, state and local leaders to provide funding for afterschool and summer learning programs.
 
If you are part of the groundswell of people who believes that our state should do everything possible to support and prepare our youth, tell your legislator to pass House Bill 1644/Senate Bill 5665, which creates a strategic workgroup run by the Department of Children, Youth, & Families (DCYF) that pulls together youth, providers, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), DCYF, chambers of commerce, and parents to develop a prevention and promotion strategy.
 
For more information, read our issue brief on Expanded Learning Opportunities.
 
Thank you for taking action, and please share this alert with friends and family!

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