Michigan After School Partnership

FEDERAL

Please invite your Senators to join the Afterschool Caucus
Use the following example to contact Senators Stabenow and Levin:

On behalf of the 8 million children in afterschool programs across the country and the 18 million children whose parents would like them to participate in programs if they were available, I write to you today to ask your support of afterschool programs by joining the Senate Afterschool Caucus and committing to federal support for afterschool programs.

As you know, investing in children is investing in our future. Now more than ever we need to direct significant resources towards our youth. Even in tough economic times, there's every reason to invest in afterschool programs. According to a study by the Rose Institute at Claremont McKenna College, an investment in afterschool will save taxpayers approximately $3 for every $1 invested.

Afterschool programs provide a secure and productive environment that kids need and the peace of mind that parents crave. Given the wide ranging benefits of afterschool and the importance of these programs in our state, please consider becoming a member of the Senate Afterschool Caucus, co-chaired by Senator Boxer.

For more information about joining the Caucus, contact Patrick Scandling in Senator Boxer's office. By joining the Afterschool Caucus and increasing funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, you will be showing parents and families everywhere that afterschool programs are a critical part of a child's social and academic development.

Thank you again for all you do on behalf of children.

STATE

Your help is needed to maintain critical funding in Michigan to support after-school programs. You can help by contacting your local legislator and telling them how important after-school funding in the state budget will be to children, youth and families in your community.

Find Your State Representative.
Find Your State Senator.

Talking Points for your conversations:

• We need to support America’s struggling working families. Families are relying even more on after-school supports as they work to keep their jobs, take on more hours, or struggle to afford basic necessities for their children. Parents with after-school care are more productive at work, less stressed about the welfare of their children, and consequently, miss fewer days of work. For low income children, programs are often a reliable source of nutritious snacks or a hot meal.
• After-school programs provide much-needed jobs for adults and young adults. In Michigan today, after-school programs serve 191,000 children providing jobs for an estimated 19,000 adults. There is demand for after-school programs to serve another 15 million children nationally—a potential of more than 1 million jobs for individuals with a wide variety of background and experience, from young adults to baby boomers.
• After-school programs provide the added value of investing in our future workforce. Children in after-school programs do better in school, are more likely to graduate and are exploring pathways to new careers. Through hands-on learning, they are developing the critical thinking, leadership and problem solving skills that employers say are vital. Investing in after-school programs now is a down payment on tomorrow's workforce, and a successful economy. As US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said, we need to “educate our way to a better economy.”
• Almost one in three Michigan children of working families are unsupervised in the afternoons. 31 percent of children in Michigan working families are “latchkey children” with no adult supervision in the afternoon. This puts them at greater risk for juvenile delinquency, drug use and unwanted pregnancy.

Resources:
Michigan Data from the America After 3 PM Household Survey on Afterschool
New Survey Data: Michigan Latchkey Kids from Working Families Vastly Outnumber Those in Afterschool Programs