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Posted 25 August 2010
SB 798 (DeSaulnier) and AB 2178 (Torlakson) are Headed for the Governor’s Desk
Please send letters of support for these important after-school and summer-learning bills
Two bills that would significantly enhance after-school and summer-learning programs are moving quickly through their respective floor votes and are projected to reach Governor Schwarzenegger within the next few days for consideration.
Please use the attached templates to send letters to the Governor in of support of these bills as soon as possible.
The Fax number for Governor Schwarzenegger is: 916.558.3160 ( new number )
SB 798
Senate Bill 798 (DeSaulnier) would provide much-needed resources for summer learning programs to low-income children through California’s federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program dollars.
- Send a letter of support for SB 798 | Download the SB 798 template letter >>
- Learn more about SB 798 | SB 798 Background >>
AB 2178
Assembly Bill 2178 (Torlakson) would enhance development of after-school programming by allowing school districts to provide student evaluation information to after-school providers. Such information could greatly assist program providers in designing programming that best serves their student populations.
- Send a letter of support for AB 2178 | Download the AB 2178 template letter >>
- Learn more about AB 2178 | AB 2178 Background >>
Posted 17 August 2010
Partnership for Children and Youth Responds to U.S. Senate Appropriations Action on 21st CCLC Program
Recently, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $100 million proposed increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program which funds before- and after-school, and summer learning programs in low-income communities.
With this proposed increase, the Committee also included language that would allow 21st CCLC funds to be used for an extended school day, a move that has been very controversial in the after-school community. There is concern that the current Appropriations bill language leaves open the possibility that funds could be used for simply lengthening the school day without integrating critical community partners, and that federal and/or state regulations could favor this model over existing high quality after-school programs.
Partnership for Children and Youth, along with many other organizations, have stated publicly in a sign-on letter to House Education Committee Chairman George Miller that we support extended/expanded school-day and year models if the following conditions are met:
- Strong community partnerships are required;
- Community organizations continue to have the right to be the lead agency and manage programs; and
- The choice about which model to select is entirely a local decision.
Therefore, we and our partner intermediaries from the Collaborative for Building After School Systems (CBASS) have developed a new sign-on letter directed to Senate and House Appropriations Members requesting they amend the current Appropriations bill language.
Sign on to a Response Letter
We welcome and encourage the support of your organization on this crucial issue. Please read the sign-on letter and add your organization to the list of signers.- Read the response letter and sign on >>
Posted 12 August 2010
SB 798 Passes Assembly Appropriations
Next stop, the Assembly Floor, then the Governor
Senate Bill 798 (DeSaulnier), which would bring critical resources to summer learning programs in low-income communities, made it over a big hurdle this week. The bill was approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will next move to the Assembly Floor, and then on to the Governor.
Many thanks go to our partners who wrote letters in support of this bill, and to East Bay Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner for advocating for the bill with Assembly leadership.
We will send an alert along with a template letter of support as soon as we know more about timing and next steps.
- Learn more about SB 798 >>
Summer Changes Everything
Attend the National Summer Learning Association’s Conference, November 9-10 in IndianapolisSummer Changes Everything, the only national conference focused entirely on summer, will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, November 9-10. If you work with children, operate or make decisions about summer programs, or are involved in youth education, you can’t afford to miss this conference. With 60 workshops on topics from STEM learning to social media outreach, NSLA is presenting the latest information regarding youth and summer learning.
This year, NSLA is thrilled to welcome an exciting lineup of guest speakers, exhibitors, and panelists, including neurologist, author, researcher, and middle-school teacher Dr. Judy Willis. Tarik Glenn, retired Indianapolis Colt and co-founder of D.R.E.A.M Alive, Inc., will share how his experiences both on and off the field have helped him to build and maintain a successful youth program. Other presenters include social media guru Beth Kanter, policy experts, and NSLA staffers. Don’t miss out on what promises to be the best summer learning conference yet! Learn how to build, strengthen, and expand summer programs at the Summer Changes Everything conference:
- Connect and network with colleagues, including summer program providers, educators, school administrators, researchers and policymakers.
- Choose the option of participating in one of two relevant, in-depth pre-conference institutes on November 8, on program planning or summer learning advocacy.
- Choose from 60 workshops in three exciting areas: Knowledge and Strategies for Summer Program Managers; Policy and Funding for Systems Building; and Innovative Instructional Approaches.
- Get more info and register >>
Posted 03 August 2010
Summer Learning Grabs the Spotlight in California and Across the Country
TIME Magazine cover story brings national attention to summer learning while members of California’s Legislative Task Force on Summer visit an LA’s BEST program
The Case Against Summer Vacation
The August 2, 2010 issue of TIME Magazine features a cover story on the importance of summer learning and enrichment, titled, “The Case Against Summer Vacation.” This insightful article discusses summer slide and the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income students that results from summer learning loss.
- Download a PDF of the TIME article >>
- Read an online version >>
Senators Mark DeSaulnier and Gil Cedillo of the Summer Task Force Visit Leo Politi Elementary in Los Angeles
On July 29, 2010, Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Chair of the Legslative Task Force on Summer and Intersession Enrichment, Task Force Member Senator Gil Cedillo, and Assemblymember Kevin de Leon accompanied Partnership Executive Director Jennifer Peck on a visit to LA’s BEST’s summer learning program at Leo Politi Elementary School in downtown Los Angeles.
The legislators got to see students engaged in a reading activity about Amelia Earhart, learning math through card games, making art with a local professional artist, and learning about science through a mock space exploration. All the guests were served orange juice that was freshly squeezed by the students as part of their nutrition education project. The students participating in this program all come from low-income households and without this program would likely have nowhere else to be in the summer. Instead, they are building their academic skills and having fun for seven weeks in the summer at their local school.
The purpose of the visit was to give the legislators a firsthand view of a high quality summer learning program that’s making a real difference in children’s lives, and discuss why the state needs to do more to prioritize summer learning programs for low-income children.
- Learn more about the Legislative Task Force on Summer and Intersession Enrichment >>
UPDATE: SB 798 (DeSaulnier) Goes to Assembly Appropriations August 4
Senate Bill 798 (DeSaulnier), which would provide much needed resources for summer learning programs to low-income children, goes before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, August 4, 2010.Sponsored by Partnership for Children and Youth and authored by Senator Mark DeSaulnier, SB 798 seeks to dedicate 15% of California’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers dollars for summer learning and enrichment programs, and place more emphasis on year-round programs.
The 21st CCLC program supports before school, after school and summer programs for children attending schools in low-income communities. The original implementation plan for 21st CCLC did not accommodate the range of needs throughout the year, including services during periods when schools are closed (e.g. vacation periods, intersession).
- Learn more about SB 798 >>
Posted 28 July 2010
AB 1876 (Torlakson) Update
Governor Vetoes Proposed ASES Legislation
Assembly Bill 1876 (Torlakson), which would have allowed ASES programs to use their base grants to provide weekend activities, as well as give competitive priority to successful K-8 21st CCLC programs that re-apply for federal funding, was vetoed July 23 by Governor Schwarzenegger.
In his veto message, the Governor states that among the reasons for the veto is the long waiting list of schools in need of funding for after school programs:
It is a great testament to all the hard working after school program providers that California can be such a leader in providing educationally enriching activities to its students even after the end of the regular school day. The need is so great for these valuable after school programs that there is still not enough funding to meet the long waiting list of schools and students seeking to have an after school program.
Learn more about AB 1876 >>
Read the Governor's veto message >>
Source: League of California Afterschool Providers
posted 15 July 2010
Sign On to a Nationwide Letter in Support of Our Recommendations to Strengthen 21st Century Community Learning Centers Funding
Show Your Organization's Support in a Message to the House Education and Labor Committee
Partnership for Children and Youth is proud to be uniquely positioned as an advisor to Representative George Miller, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, with regard to the development of his out-of-school-time and expanded day policies in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Join us in a nationwide letter of support to express our thoughts on policy direction for the reauthorization of the 21st Community Learning Centers program (21st CCLC).
- Read the letter and sign on | Learn more >>
posted 07 July 2010
AB 1876 (Torlakson) Heads to the Governor’s Desk for Consideration
Please Send Letters of Support ASAP
Assembly Bill 1876 (Torlakson), a bill that would allow ASES programs to use their base grants to provide weekend activities, as well as give competitive priority to successful K-8 21st CCLC programs that re-apply for federal funding, has passed both houses of the Legislature and is on its way to the Governor for consideration.
Please send a letter to the Governor in support of AB 1876 as soon as possible. You can use the following template:
- AB 1876 Letter of Support template | Download >>
Please fax your support letter ASAP: 916.445.4633
More about AB 1876
AB 1876, sponsored by the Partnership for Children and Youth and authored by Assemblymember Tom Torlakson, would accomplish two important things for state and federally funded after-school programs:
Clarify that grants for After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) may be used for weekend activities for students. Weekend activities or field trips have been important incentives in some programs to enhance student participation, but in recent years, the state has disallowed grant funding to be used for this purpose.
Give expiring 21st CCLC grantees who have performed well over their five-year grant period, extra points when they are re-applying for new 21st CCLC grants. Federal law prohibits straight “renewal” of 21st CCLC grants, so this is a way to help strong 21st CCLC grantees continue their programs and services for students.
Read an analysis of AB 1876 >>
Posted: 29 June 2010
AB 346 AND AB 1025 (Conway) Update
New Language included in after-school legislation. Please send letters of support.
AB 346 (Conway), which would address the unintended impacts of AB 1025 (Conway), was passed by the Senate on June 28, and will be sent to the Assembly floor for concurrence on July 1. It will then be immediately sent to the Governor for his consideration. The bill was amended on June 24 to drop the one-year delay provision, and instead include language that is critically important to after-school providers:
E.C. 40924(e) This section does not apply to a candidate who is required by the school district to clear a Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check prior to beginning the paid or volunteer activities described in subdivision (a).
This language would ensure that any persons who have already been cleared by the DOJ and FBI would not be required to additionally obtain an Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate through the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The supporters of AB 346 have asked providers to send letters to the Governor in order to help him understand why it is necessary to sign this bill without delay. Please cut and paste this template to your agency letterhead, then sign and fax to (916) 558-3160.
Source: League of California Afterschool Providers
Posted: 29 June 2010
Summer Food Update
California Children Missing Out on Meals During Summer Months
New Report Shows Drastic Fall in Participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs
Almost 80,000 fewer California children took part in the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2009 compared to July 2008, according to a new report, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation , by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). This represents a 13% decline in participation at a time when participation in other federal safety-net programs is on the rise. Nationally, the participation rate fell by 2.5 percent.
Leaders of the California Association of Food Banks and the California Food Policy Advocates said the significant drop-off in summer meal program participation means many low-income children in the state were going without enough nutritious food. They attributed much of the drop-off to cutbacks in state funding for programs -- like summer schools -- that also provide meals.
The two organizations held a conference call June 29 to draw attention to the report’s findings and discuss ways to increase participation. Kate Karpilow, executive director of the California Center for Research on Women and Families, which is working with the statewide Summer Meal Program Coalition to increase the number of summer meal sponsors and sites, and Jim Weill, president of FRAC, also took part in the call.
The Summer Nutrition Programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provide meals to children who rely on free and reduced-price school meals during the school year. Summer meals are offered at participating sites, such as public and private schools, city- or county-run children’s summer programs or nonprofit programs, with federal funding provided to offset the costs.
While participation in summer meal programs fell, participation in the National School Lunch Program rose from the 2007-2008 school year to the 2008-2009 school year, confirming the rising need for nutrition assistance among low-income families. More than 2.14 million California children relied on the School Lunch Program in 2007-2008; this number jumped to 2.26 million in the 2008-2009 school year. By comparison, only 509,710 California children took part in the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2009 compared to 588,175 in July 2008. That means the Summer Nutrition Programs reached only 23 percent of low-income children who ate school lunch during the regular school year.
"It’s especially troubling to see such a large gap between the number of children who use the School Lunch Program versus those who use the Summer Nutrition Program," said Sue Sigler, executive director of the California Association of Food Banks. "As a state, we have to be concerned about where these thousands and thousands of children are getting their food during the summer. The truth is, in most cases they are having to go without."
If the Summer Nutrition Programs in California were to serve just 40 out of every 100 children who participate in the School Lunch Program during the year, the state would receive an additional $27,055,081 in federal nutrition funding -- and help an additional 392,900 low-income children.
California Food Policy Advocates also recently released an analysis of trends in summer nutrition in California, School’s Out Who Ate? 2010, providing insight into the decline, county-by-county participation details and state and local policy developments, such as the collapse of summer school, that have jeopardized children’s nutritional needs.
"The majority of summer feeding sites in California are held at summer school or other state-run summer enrichment programs, but the state’s budget cuts into these programs severely limited the feeding sites available last year," said Matt Sharp, senior advocate with the California Food Policy Advocates. "In today’s economy, families need assistance more than ever, but by cutting back on summer activities, we’re not only shortchanging their educational opportunities, but also reducing where kids can access nutritious meals during the summer months."
The California Association of Food Banks and the California Food Policy Advocates join FRAC in calling on Congress to expand the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs by:
- Improving the program’s too-narrow area eligibility test so that children from low-income families in a broader range of poor communities are able to participate;
- Expanding to all states a Year-Round Summer Food Pilot, currently only in effect in California, which reduces paperwork and eases administrative requirements for community-based sponsors that serve children during both the summer and after school during the school year;
- Providing grants to sponsors for start-up and expansion costs and transportation of children in order to bring new sponsors into the program and allow existing sponsors to serve more children; and
- Increasing reimbursement rates so that schools, local government agencies, and private nonprofit organizations are able to operate the program without losing money and can provide healthier food.
- "Increased funding for child nutrition programs would ensure that more low-income children have access to summer meals that stave off hunger, help reduce obesity, and draw children into educational and enrichment programs that keep them learning throughout the summer," Weill said. "Congress must make these programs stronger so we can take a decisive step forward in meeting President Barack Obama’s goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015."
Source: California Association of Food Banks and California Food Policy Advocates
Posted: 25 June 2010
AB 1876 (Torlakson) Passes Senate Education Committee
AB 1876 (Torlakson), a bill that would allow ASES programs to use their base grants to provide weekend activities, as well as give competitive priority to successful K-8 21st CCLC programs that re-apply for federal funding, passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, by a partisan vote of 5-2. The bill has been deemed non-fiscal and will therefore not require a hearing in Senate Appropriations. The author's office expects that the bill will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote next week. If passed, it will be then by sent to the Governor for his consideration.
Source: League of California Afterschool Providers
Posted: 02 June 2010
SB 798 (DeSaulnier) and AB 1876 (Torlakson)
Write Letters of Support for After School and Summer Enrichment Legislation
Help us support two pieces of legislation that protect and enhance critical funding streams for after school and summer enrichment programs.
Senate Bill 798 would provide much needed resources for summer learning programs to low-income children.
Assembly Bill 1876 would allow publicly-funded after school providers to use their base grants to pay for program-related activities on weekends and would give priority for federally-funded after school programs that seek a new grant to continue its program.
Here are templates that will help you draft your organization’s letters of support:
- SB 798 Template Letter of Support | Download it >>
- AB 1876 Template Letter of Support | Download it >>
More about the Bills
SB 798, sponsored by Partnership for Children and Youth and authored by Senator Mark DeSaulnier, seeks to dedicate 15% of California’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers dollars for summer learning and enrichment programs, and place more emphasis on year-round programs.
The 21st CCLC program supports before school, after school and summer programs for children attending schools in low-income communities. The original implementation plan for 21st CCLC did not accommodate the range of needs throughout the year, including services during periods when schools are closed (e.g. vacation periods, intersession).
- Learn more about SB 798 >>
AB 1876, also sponsored by the Partnership for Children and Youth and authored by Assemblymember Tom Torlakson, passed the Assembly Education Committee on April 21, 2010. This bill would accomplish two important things for state and federally funded after-school programs:
- Clarify that grants for After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) may be used for weekend activities for students. Weekend activities or field trips have been important incentives in some programs to enhance student participation, but in recent years, the state has disallowed grant funding to be used for this purpose.
- Give expiring 21st CCLC grantees who have performed well over their five-year grant period, extra points when they are re-applying for new 21st CCLC grants. Federal law prohibits straight “renewal” of 21st CCLC grants, so this is a way to help strong 21st CCLC grantees continue their programs and services for students.
Read more about AB 1876 >>
