PCY In the News
Report outlines summer learning program recommendations
February 7, 2023 | Heather Kemp | CSBA Blog
A new report, Summer 2022: How California schools are making the most of new increased state investments, released in January by the Partnership for Children & Youth, offers an overview of trends from the first full year of Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) implementation and recommendations for districts and the state around summer and year-round offerings. Read more.
Policy change is a long game. Afterschool veterans are sharing their playbooks.
February 2, 2023 | Every Hour Counts
Over its two-and-a-half decades, PCY helped create the conditions that eventually led the state of California to make a massive funding commitment to afterschool and summer learning. Read more.
California’s summer and after-school programs are effective and should be expanded, report finds
January 23, 2023 | Carolyn Jones | EdSource
The state’s pandemic investments in TK-6th grade expanded learning programs have been so successful that the programs should expand to include more students and become permanent fixtures on school campuses, according to a new report by Partnership for Children and Youth. Read more.
The right choices? Leaders, policymakers and experts react to Gov. Newsom’s 2022-23 education budget
January 18, 2023 | Aleah Rosario & Jessica Gunderson | EdSource
We appreciate the Governor’s ongoing commitment to expanded learning as a central strategy to close opportunity gaps and implement the California for All Kids plan. We believe this also rings true for middle and high school students who have been left out of recent increases and equally deserve enrichment opportunities. Read more in the K-12 schools section.
A hot time for summer learning: the power of summer learning partnerships
September 22, 2022 | Claudia DeMegret | The Wallace Foundation
“Partnership takes time and energy, and so you need to staff that way. What we’ve seen far too often is that the partnership piece is just a footnote on your job rather than a core responsibility.” —Jessica Gunderson, Partnership for Children and Youth. Listen.
Analysis of Covid funding reveals California districts have spent little so far to address learning loss
July 15, 2022 | John Fensterwald | EdSource
“Some districts may have stockpiled the American Rescue Plan funding, which can be spent through Jan. 31, 2025, and used Covid money with earlier deadlines. That’s what Jessica Gunderson, the new co-chief executive officer of the Partnership for Children and Youth, which advocates for summer and after-school programs, suspects is paying for programs this summer.” Read more.
Are we there yet?
December 2, 2021 | Jennifer Dietrich | BOOST Cafe Blog
“The afterschool field has dreamt of the day when they didn’t have to fight to keep the lights on after school…After years of trying to explain the importance of afterschool and summer programs to state and local decision-makers, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented level of attention and funding. The pandemic illustrated how critical these programs and their workforce are to students, their families, and their school communities.” Read more.
How California districts re-imagined summer school to focus on innovation and fun
November 4, 2021 | Diana Lambert | EdSource
“Most school districts offered as much summer programming as they could, expanding programs previously limited to students who were falling behind academically, according to a report published Wednesday by Partnership for Children and Youth.” Read more.
Districts will have a year to plan for 9-hour day, 30-day summer programs
September 27, 2021 | John Fensterwald | San Jose Inside
Staffing shortage delays ambitious program to extend school day and year in California
September 23, 2021 | John Fensterwald | EdSource
“One approach districts should consider is to piece together part-time jobs into full-day work so that classroom and special education aides working during the school day can add hours through the expanded after-school programs, said Jennifer Peck, president of the Partnership for Children and Youth, a nonprofit that supports after-school and summer learning programs.” Read more.
Summer school, reimagined: Tulsa returns 11K students to campuses in July by putting fun before academics
July 28, 2021 | Asher Lehrer-Small | The 74
“Peck, of the Partnership for Children & Youth, advocates for the fun-first summer learning model to stick around. ‘This shouldn’t be a one-time thing how we’re doing things this summer,’ she said. ‘This should be here to stay.’” Read more.
Staffing shortages, exhaustion, family vacations temper big summer-school hopes
July 21, 2021 | Laura Newberry | Los Angeles Times
“‘So many districts hadn’t done this before and were really scrambling to figure out how to spend the money, where to hire the staff,’ said Jennifer Peck, president of Partnership for Children and Youth, and Oakland-based organization that advocates for extended learning programs for students from underserved communities.” Read more.
Better, broader learning: California education policymakers prioritize bolder expanded learning opportunities
July 16, 2021 | Linda Darling-Hammond, Karen Pittman, Jennifer Peck | Learning Policy Institute Blog
“Two recent surveys indicate that parents have interest in a broader conception of education to meet their children’s learning and development needs. Even more than academic activities, they are prioritizing social and emotional learning and health; outdoor physical activity; and programs such as art, music, and sports for the return to school this summer and fall.” Read more.
8 to 3: What should kids be doing this summer, really?
June 14, 2021 | Laura Newberry | Los Angeles Times
“To find out more…I spoke with Jennifer Peck, president of Partnership for Children and Youth, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for extended learning programs for students from underserved communities. Peck noted that students from middle- and higher-income backgrounds who are much more likely to attend camp, vacation with their families and take music lessons over the summer—fun activities that inherently have learning built into them—are not only more insulated from learning loss, but tend to start the next school year ahead of the game. Meanwhile, low-income kids are often sent off to summer school, which can feel like a punishment for not performing well enough during the academic year.” Read more.
Most California schools offering summer school, planning to reopen fully in fall
June 7, 2021 | Diana Lambert | EdSource
“‘Overall, it’s very exciting to see data-gathering on summer program availability and components, which we haven’t had previously in California,’ said Jennifer Peck, president of Partnership for Children and Youth, and Oakland-based organization that advocates for extended learning programs for students from underserved communities.” Read more.
Why summer school in California will prioritize fun and reconnecting students
May 27, 2021 | Diana Lambert, EdSource | The Mercury News
“Research shows that the most effective summer learning experiences, academic and social, are full-day programs designed like a camp and staffed by teachers and community-based educators, Peck said. They should be enrichment classes, which are generally designed to be fun, interactive and designed around students’ interests, she said.” Read more.
Why summer school in California will prioritize fun and reconnecting students
May 26, 2021 | Diana Lambert | EdSource
“‘Schools should offer as much summer programming this year as they can,’ said Jennifer peck, president of Partnership for Children and Youth, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for extended learning programs for students from underserved communities. ‘California is dead last in reopening, and there are going to be a lot of kids this summer that need to be in a structured learning environment with other kids and with adults, regardless of whether it’s a traditional summer program or not,’ she said.” Read more.
What did he get right? Reactions to Gov. Newsom’s K-12 budget
May 19, 2021 | Andrew Reed and Alexander Montero | EdSource
“The large additional investment in after-school and summer (expanded learning) programs is long overdue and necessary, not just for recovery but to address long-standing opportunity gaps that perpetuate deep inequities in our system. The commitment to growing and supporting these programs over time is exciting news for so many families and students who have not had access in the past,” - Jennifer Peck, Partnership for Children and Youth. Read more.
Summer school plans hinge on teacher energy
May 17, 2021 | Diana Lambert | EdSource
“‘There have been a record number of teacher retirements because of burnout,’ said Jennifer Peck, executive director of Partnership for Children and Youth, and Oakland organization that advocates for learning opportunities for underserved youth. ‘Those remaining are exhausted and want to take a break and get ready for next year.’ That creates a dilemma for district officials who know students need summer programs this year more than ever, Peck said.” Read more.
Why summer learning programs are pushing more fun than academics
May 12, 2021 | Noble Ingram | EdSurge
“‘Many districts, for the first time in the history of their summer programming, are focused on fun and engagement as a number one priority,’ says Jessica Gunderson, a senior policy advisor with the Partnership for Children and Youth, based in California.” Read more.
Summer school is key to help students recover COVID losses. Here’s what Fort Worth plans
May 10, 2021 | Silas Allen | Forth Worth Star-Telegram
“‘We can’t look at this as a one-summer solution, and I think the research is pretty clear about that,’ said Jennifer Peck, president and CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for Children and Youth. …A fun, engaging approach is a key feature of successful summer learning programs. If districts want their summer programs to be effective, it isn’t enough to offer high-quality academic instruction, Peck said. They need to give students a reason to show up. The most effective summer learning programs feel more like a summer camp than school, she said. They pair an academic component with fun enrichment activities that keep students engaged and make them excited about showing up every day.” Read more.
Let’s amplify the voice of the expanded learning workforce
April 13, 2021 | Jennifer Dietrich | BOOST Cafe Blog
“When the majority of schools in 2020-21 were closed for in-person learning, who has answered the call? The expanded learning workforce. Some staff at afterschool, summer, and out-of-school-time programs provided supervision and support to children of essential workers and other vulnerable children. Others stepped up to meet families’ basic needs, including meals, technology for distance learning, and referrals to language translation and free COVID-19 testing. Some found missing students and focused on re-engaging families. Many could only provide social-emotional support, tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment virtually," - Jennifer Dietrich, Partnership for Children and Youth. Read more.
Summer learning’s promise: a first step to post-Covid healing
April 2, 2021 | John Fensterwald and Louis Freedberg | EdSource Podcast
This podcast episode guests are Jennifer Peck, president and CEO of Partnership for Children and Youth, an organization championing high-quality learning opportunities and Amanda Reedy, administrator of Gilroy Unified’s Power School and after-school programs. Listen.
Summer learning, not summer school
April 2, 2021 | Jennifer Peck | Ed100 Blog
“Summer is a hot topic right now. Leaders at every level of the system are talking about summer as a critical time to help students, especially the most vulnerable, recover from a year of COVID and all the challenges that have come with that. They talk about summer as a time to catch up on lost learning, get social and emotional supports, and prepare students for the next school year. All of this makes sense and must be done—and is also not unique to the year of COVID. Summer has always been a consequential time for learning and development,” - Jennifer Peck, Partnership for Children and Youth. Read more.
Expanded learning is the right investment for right now—let’s make sure we do it wisely
February 3, 2021 | Jennifer Peck | EdSource Commentary
“We and many fellow advocates were excited to see that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent budget announcement included $4.6 billion for expanded learning time, including afterschool and summer learning. We were also encouraged to hear both Newsom and State Board President Linda Darling-Hammond urge Californians to rethink the traditional school calendar, something that has been talked about for decades, but not acted upon,” - Jennifer Peck, Partnership for Children and Youth. Read more.
Looking forward to the end of 2020, preparing for what comes next
December 17, 2020 | Jennifer Dietrich | BOOST Cafe Blog
“All of this is critical to the recovery of our students and communities, but expanded learning programs and their workforce continue to face a long-standing funding challenge.” Read more.
Afterschool programs are key partners in creating supportive learning communities, especially for students in poverty and English learners
November 18, 2020 | Michael Funk | The 74 Opinion
“As stated in a recent brief from the Opportunity Institute and Partnership for Children & Youth, it is imperative in this crisis to deepen the link between schools and community partners. What is largely seen as a school district challenge is really a community opportunity to care for every child and to give the social and emotional support essential to create the conditions for learning to take place.” Read more.
Why some California classrooms will reopen for child care, though barred from in-person instruction
August 11, 2020 | Zaidee Stavely | EdSource
“‘For the kids who are most at risk for extreme disconnection and learning loss and mental health challenges, we absolutely should be finding ways to provide in-person support for those kids,” said Jennifer Peck, president and CEO of Partnership for Children and Youth, an organization that advocates for more investment in after-school and summer learning programs.” Read more.
Partnering with expanded learning to center equity in school reopening plans
July 28, 2020 | Jennifer Peck | BOOST Cafe Blog
“Research has shown that high-quality expanded learning programs can significantly reduce educational disparities, and it would be an enormous missed opportunity if our school system did not heavily lean on expanded learning partners as they plan for the coming school year.” Read more.
In this time of crisis, afterschool gives me hope
June 8, 2020 | Jennifer Dietrich | BOOST Cafe Blog
“When the COVID-19 crisis hit and shelter-in-place orders went into effect, the afterschool workforce quickly pivoted and stretched to serve these kids and families in new ways. More than 30,000 afterschool staff check on families, provide resources, and help youth navigate through these crises.” Read more.
To reopen safely and responsibly, schools need their afterschool partners
May 29, 2020 | Paul Gothold and Jennifer Peck | EdSource Commentary
“As we consider reopening campuses in San Diego County and across California, schools will be relying on afterschool partners to help them pull off this massive and uncharted task. On top of creating new visions for instruction and schedules and establishing safety protocols, we must also support students who will return having experienced extreme social disconnection, trauma and significant learning gaps. Afterschool programs are an essential partner in addressing these challenges and we need them to remain intact.” Read more.
School districts and housing organizations should work together to feed kids
April 2, 2020 | Jennifer Peck | EdSource Commentary
“As we compel everyone to stay put for personal and public health reasons during the coronavirus emergency, we must consider other ways to get food to kids living in households where the refrigerator and kitchen shelves are mostly empty. This is a place where nontraditional partners like our public housing and nonprofit housing organizations play a critical role.” Read more.
Flipping the script: laying the groundwork for a more powerful advocacy force
January 16, 2020 | Jennifer Peck | BOOST Cafe Blog
“Over the past four years of fighting for our own budget increases, due to the rising minimum wage in California and a stagnant ASES daily rate, we have realized how much we need allies in the child care and early learning worlds, and we’ve experienced the downfalls of being pitted against each other instead of working together.” Read more.
Tim Shriver: the case for social and emotional learning
October 18, 2019 | EdSource Podcast
“Shriver will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 30 in Sacramento at a social and emotional learning conference co-sponsored by EdSource and the Partnership for Children and Youth.” Listen.
The homestretch: 2019 campaign to save California’s afterschool programs
June 4, 2019 | Jennifer Dietrich | BOOST Cafe Blog
“Our power is in our collective voice and each of these actions has contributed to a powerful campaign and is leading to results. The Senate has recommended an unprecedented $100 million of additional ongoing funding, and the Assembly recommended $80.5 million.” Read more.
Open Forum: Gov. Newsom, our kids depend on after-school programs
April 24, 2019 | Myrna Melgar | San Francisco Chronicle Opinion
“With no action, 1 in 4 after-school programs in California could close their doors, according to a survey by the Partnership for Children & Youth. More than half of the respondents anticipate scaling back the number of youth they serve.” Read more.
How to help youth activists change the world
March 20, 2019 | Daren Howard | Youth Today Guest Opinion Essay
“Some of the most compelling and effective activism today is coming from empowered and supported youth. Whatever your political persuasion, this emerging generation of activists needs your support to exercise their agency.” Read more.
Federal funding for after-school programs intact, despite threatened budget cuts
March 29, 2018 | Ashley Hopkinson | EdSource
“On the issue of after-school programs, Congress has been largely supportive, said Jessica Gunderson, senior director for policy and communications for the Partnership for Children and Youth. ‘This is the second time Congress has stood up and protected after-school programs. Even though the Trump administration is making a compromise, their position is still to defund 21st Century grants. We’re excited to see it preserved but still nervous.” Read more.
Closing a 6,000 hour learning gap
March 15, 2018 | Jessica Gunderson and Stephanie Pollick | Ed100 Blog
“Want to close the achievement gap? Look outside the school day. Kids spend most of their time outside of the classroom. They are learning and developing constantly—not just between the hours of 8am and 3pm. Families understand this. That’s why those with resources pay for out-of-school classes, tutors, sports, and camps.” Read more.
Oxnard School District superintendent named a superhero
February 12, 2018 | Alexa D’Angelo | Ventura County Star
“‘Summer is a time for kids to learn new things, expand their horizons, and discover new talents, skills, and relationships. It’s a time for learning to be fun,’ said Jennifer Peck, co-chair of the Summer Matters campaign.” Read more.
Closing the communication gap between school-day and after-school teams
November 7, 2017 | Katie Brackenridge | Youth Today Guest Opinion Essay
“Our hope is to give youth workers the language to encourage important conversations with their school-day colleagues. We know that more coordination and collaboration will yield better results for students.” Read more.
Ensuring access to summer learning for all students
June 12, 2017 | Jennifer Peck | EdSource Commentary
“Failing to invest in after-school and summer programs would undermine two decades of work to help communities close the learning gap for children of color, low-income children, and working class families.” Read more.