out-of-school time

OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME
ISSUE BRIEF
OCTOBER 2012
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
outofschooltime.unitedway.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................... 1
OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A COMMUNITY APPROACH................................................. 3
Executive Summary........................................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................... 6
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY...................................................................................................................... 8
ROLES FOR UNITED WAY – WORLDWIDE AND LOCAL..................................................................................... 10
UNITED WAY SUPPORTING COMMUNITY OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME EFFORTS..................................................... 11
KEY SUGGESTIONS FROM THE FIELD: LESSONS LEARNED............................................................................. 13
SUGGESTION #1: MAP THE OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME LANDSCAPE..................................................................... 15
SUGGESTION #2: MEASURE PROGRAM QUALITY............................................................................................ 17
SUGGESTION #3: LEVERAGE PASSION TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALS........................................................... 19
SUGGESTION #4: CREATE AND COORDINATE AN ALIGNED NETWORK............................................................. 20
UNITED WAY MOVING FORWARD.................................................................................................................... 23
RESOURCES.................................................................................................................................................. 25
PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS............................................................................................................................. 26
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley............................................................................ 27
United Way of Seneca County (New York)..................................................................................................... 28
United Way of Tampa Bay [United Way Suncoast] (Florida)......................................................................... 29
United Way of Tulare County (California)..................................................................................................... 31

Acknowledgements
United Ways from across our network contributed to the development of this report – including
participating in interviews, providing documents, and reviewing the initial draft. United Way Worldwide
wishes to thank each of these leaders for their time, their thoughtful contribution, and for their work in
their communities focused on supporting positive youth development and academic success:
• Laura LaFuente, Director, Target Graduation, United Way for Greater Austin (Texas);
• Katherine Rivard, Senior Issue Manager, Community Impact, United Way of Greater
Kansas City (Missouri);
• Meghan Barp, Director, Education Impact Area, Greater Twin Cities United Way
(Minnesota);
• Sandra Booth, Director, Community Initiatives, Education, United Way of Greater
Richmond & Petersburg (Virginia);
• Bobbi Davis, Resource Development Manager, Children’s Board (for United Way of Tampa
Bay, Florida);
• Argelia Flores, former Director, Community Initiatives, United Way of Tulare County
(California);
• Karen Beals, Executive Director, and Connie Richardson, Director of Community
Partnerships, both at United Way of Seneca County (New York);
• Gina Gallo, Youth Success Manager, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
(North Carolina);
• Karen Napier, Director of Education Initiatives, Metro United Way (Louisville, Kentucky).
This report was principally written by Brad Rourke of the Mannakkee Circle Group under the guidance
and direction of Ayeola Fortune, Director, Education Team at United Way Worldwide. Additional reviews
and input were provided by Peter Beard, Senior Vice President of Impact Priorities; Cortney Harris,
Manager, Education Team; Nina Sazer O’Donnell, Vice President of Education; Amanda Ponzar, Director
of Communications, Global Corporate Leadership; and Lynn M. Tveskov, Manager, Impact Priorities at
United Way Worldwide. Expert reviews were provided by Erin Harris, Senior Research Analyst, Harvard
Family Research Project; Terry K. Peterson, Senior Fellow, College of Charleston; Lane Russell, Senior
Director, Community Engagement, America’s Promise Alliance; and Nicole Yohalem, Director of Special
Projects, Forum for Youth Investment.
About United Way Worldwide
United Way is a worldwide network in 40 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local
organizations in the U.S. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by
focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. United Way recruits people
and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE
UNITED ® is a call to action for everyone to become a part of the change. For more information about
United Way, please visit: www.UnitedWay.org.
1

About jcpenney
Over 110 years ago, James Cash Penney founded his company on the Golden Rule principle of treating
customers the way he wanted to be treated himself: fair and square. Today, rooted in its rich heritage,
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is re-imagining every aspect of its business in order to reclaim
its birthright and become America’s favorite store. jcpenney is recognized as the leading corporate
advocate for the afterschool issue, directing more than $100 million in support across the country and
partnering with leading afterschool organizations to make life-enriching afterschool programs accessible
for working families. For more information, visit www.jcpenney.com.
2

OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM A COMMUNITY APPROACH
Executive Summary
One in every five students drops out of high school and roughly 1.2 million students fail to graduate from
high school each year. At the individual, community, state, and national levels, alarmingly high dropout
rates, particularly for low-income students of color, translate into reduced economic opportunity and
competitiveness, and challenge America’s ability to sustain a vibrant, stable democracy.
In response, United Way mobilizes individuals, communities, and organizations across America to boost
high school graduation. And United Way is leading with its strength: its ability to recruit people with
passion, expertise and resources to make lasting change. United Way has set an ambitious national
education goal of cutting dropout numbers in half by the year 2018. To meet this goal, local United
Ways and their partners must ensure that children and youth from birth through young adulthood have
meaningful supports and opportunities across all settings (e.g., families, schools, communities).
Because children spend only 20 percent of their waking hours in the classroom, any effort to improve
educational outcomes must look outside the classroom, especially afterschool, summer and weekend
programs. Out-of-school time programs are an important component of a broader array of wrap-around
supports that are essential for student success. Research supports that sustained participation in highquality
programs outside the classroom results in increases in student performance on standardized
achievement tests; improved work-study habits and homework completion rates; stronger feelings of
engagement and school connectedness; increases in self-esteem; improved relationships with peers
and adults; and declines in negative, risk-taking behavior.
3

Since 2008, with the support of jcpenney Afterschool, United Way Worldwide (UWW) has fielded three
rounds of Community Pilot Initiative grants to local United Ways for them to work on community outof-school
time issues. The ten United Ways that received these grants focused their efforts on building
shared knowledge of the out-of-school time programs currently in their communities – understanding
the quality of these programs; addressing the gaps in data, services, and supports; and engaging key
constituencies (e.g., youth, parents) to get a better sense of the types of supports that young people
need.
Their collective learning suggests that United Ways can significantly strengthen out-of-school time in
their communities if they:
• Map the Out-of-School Time Landscape: Without knowing where assets and needs are,
good and informed decisions are impossible. Many communities working on out-of-school
time issues begin without a clear understanding of where the programs literally are in the
community, who they serve, and what kinds of outcomes they are producing. Gaining this
understanding can be transformative, identifying unmet needs and galvanizing support.
• Measure Program Quality: It is important to be able to show the impact that programs
are having. But, many out-of-school time programs did not have a way to assess their
own impact and quality. Programs often use different approaches to show impact, so
comparisons cannot be made. United Ways can help to develop a common language
and understanding of quality across programs. Moreover, United Ways can use their
vantage point as significant investors in out-of-school time programs to invest in quality
improvement approaches that tie professional development to specific areas that need
support.
• Leverage Passion to Develop Professionals: While people working in youth development
are very passionate, they often operate in isolation from others doing similar work. They
can easily feel burned out. Convening and sharing became a powerful experience and
energized a sense of professionalism in a field that is ripe for it.
• Create and Coordinate an Aligned Network: Young people are a responsibility of the whole
community. Many organizations and others are part of supporting their development. It
is crucial to be able to coordinate services to close gaps, avoid duplicating efforts, and
demonstrate the contributions of multiple community stakeholders. United Ways have
relationships with many community stakeholders – out-of-school time providers, schools,
community and faith-based organizations, businesses, etc. – that can be leveraged to
create stronger alignment, coordination, and communication.
United Way Worldwide administered and supported these grants through technical support and by
developing a learning community. This provided an important window into how best to drive impact
through community-based out-of-school time efforts.
As a result, UWW learned a great deal from this work, not only in terms of substance, content, and
execution on a local level, but also in terms of how best to support and create impact more broadly
moving forward.
Perhaps the key overall insight is that, because of out-of-school time’s potential to increase student
success and help improve high school graduation rates, United Way Worldwide can and should exercise
greater national leadership in this area. This includes:
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• Making the Case – United Way Worldwide can help make the case – within the network,
with external stakeholders, and the general public – about the importance of out-ofschool
time as one important strategy for cutting the dropout rate by 2018 and increasing
the number of students who graduate high school prepared for college, work, and life.
United Way Worldwide can also channel our network’s collective voice and advocate for
policies that sustain public investment in out-of-school time.
• Leveraging Core Organizational Strengths to Advance the Work – United Way Worldwide
can encourage local United Ways to leverage all parts of their organizational work to
deepen their out-of-school time efforts. Volunteers can be engaged and matched with
related programs that could use more adult presence and support; local businesses and
corporate partners might be asked to lend their time, talent, and expertise to mentor
youth in out-of-school time programs, or to provide internships and career exploration
opportunities for older youth; donors might be asked to advocate for sustained public,
private, and philanthropic investment in these initiatives.
• Increasing Visibility – United Way Worldwide’s national leadership can help shine a
light on the network’s overall investment in out-of-school time and on the work that local
United Ways are already doing in out-of-school time to strengthen quality, expand access,
leverage existing resources, and improve results for participants.
• Sharing Best Practices – United Way Worldwide can continue to grow local United Way
capacity in this area by facilitating access to the latest expertise as well as support to
strengthen their own out-of-school time grant making, sustaining a learning community to
share promising practices and experiences, and developing tools and other resources.
• Strengthening Connections – United Way Worldwide can help connect our network to
national experts, existing coalitions, advocacy groups, state afterschool networks, and
others who are actively advancing this issue so that efforts at the national, state, and
local levels complement and support one another.
What is Out-of-School Time
Out-of-school time initiatives include before-school, afterschool, and weekend programs; summer learning
opportunities; service learning; mentoring and internships. They are formal and structured opportunities for schoolaged
youth that can complement the regular school day. They are most often provided by schools, community and
faith-based groups, youth-serving organizations, cultural institutions, and city or state agencies. Out-of-school
time program goals and content can vary considerably, but generally most programs seek to engage youth to
support their academic success, overall development, or both.
Although out-of-school time programs are a critical component of wrap-around supports that can
support student success – they can only do so when they are high-quality, available to students
who need them most, aligned with the regular school day, and sustainable. Achieving this requires a
systemic, big-picture approach that is not piecemeal or focused on individual programs. Given the reach
of United Way’s network and the relationships, partnerships, and resources United Ways can collectively
leverage, the network of 1,200 local and state United Ways is well-positioned to help facilitate a systemic
approach to improving out-of-school time as part of larger strategic efforts to improve middle grades
success and increase high school graduation rates.
5

INTRODUCTION
Each year, over 1 million students entering the ninth grade will fail to graduate high school in four years.
One in five students drops out of high school. Roughly 3 million young people aged 16–24 are not
enrolled in high school nor have a diploma. High school dropouts are less likely to earn a living wage,
vote, and volunteer in their communities and have a greater chance of being unemployed, incarcerated,
uninsured, and receiving public assistance. Failure to graduate from high school translates into a loss of
approximately $630,000 in income compared to a person who did graduate. i High school graduation is
the single most powerful predictor of whether a young person coming from generations of poverty will
break the cycle.
Connecting With United Way
We asked local United Way leaders how community organizations can best work with United Way. These are
their suggestions:
• Attend United Way events and introduce yourself and your work. United Way staff members say they
meet many people this way that they would not otherwise know.
• Invite local United Way staff to your events and out to see your program. United Ways spend a lot of
our time doing this to get to know emerging best practices/programs that might not be on their radar.
• Ask about ways to get involved, and who else you should get to know. United Ways have a good vantage
point in the community and can help facilitate introductions to others.
• Share program outcomes and the demographics of the populations you serve. This way, United Ways
can better align resources to meet needs.
• Be a liaison to the communities you serve. This will help United Way understand how best to help bring
resources to that neighborhood or community.
• Advocate and educate the public on important community, state, and national issues concerning
education, income, and health.
• Contact your local community building or impact staff member. Contact information can usually be
found on United Way websites.
The issue is not simply an individual problem that affects students one by one. The community bears the
costs of failure to graduate. Education was responsible for up to a third of the increase in productivity
from the 1950s through the 1990s. Now, however, the United States is projected to need 3 million more
high school graduates in its workforce by 2018 than there are projected to be. Moving just one student
from dropout to graduate results in more than $200,000 more in higher tax revenue and lowered
government expenditures during her or his lifetime. ii
In response to this challenge, United Way Worldwide is mobilizing individuals, communities, and
organizations across America to tackle the high school dropout crisis. UWW has set a national education
goal of cutting dropout numbers in half by the year 2018. iii
To meet this goal, local United Ways are focusing their efforts on ensuring that children and youth from
birth through young adulthood have meaningful supports and options across all settings to successfully
navigate available educational opportunities. Increasing access to high-quality, engaging, and relevant
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out-of-school time activities, especially for middle and high school students, is one important way of
increasing high school graduation rates because well-designed and executed programs can complement
and support academic success and development.
In communities across the country, an increasing number of local United Ways are acting as conveners,
connectors, and strategic partners to improve access to quality afterschool programs. United Way
Worldwide has provided support to United Ways, including providing capacity-building grants,
developing a learning community of grantees, and creating online tools for United Ways to share ideas
and gain from one another’s experience.
This issue brief describes the broader policy context of out-of-school time and highlights the work of
local United Ways as they seek to improve the afterschool systems in their respective communities. It is
based on grant reports and in-depth interviews with key staff at nine United Ways.
7

CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY
Estimates suggest that 15 million children in the United States are without adult supervision for some
period of time after school. iv This unsupervised time puts youth at risk for academic and behavioral
problems, drug use, and other types of risky behaviors. v Despite increasing awareness regarding these
risks, the number of children and youth left on their own in the afternoons has increased. vi
The challenge persists into the summer months. Research on the “summer slide” – the learning loss
that occurs when students are out of school – suggests that, on average, students lose one month of
instruction in reading and mathematics every summer.
These losses are exacerbated because students have differing levels of access to formal enrichment
activities when school is out. vii While the “summer slide” hits students across the socioeconomic
spectrum, it is pronounced for lower-income students. Middle- and high-income students are often able
to attend out-of-school time programs during the school year. In addition, their parents are more likely to
avoid the “summer slide” by arranging and paying for summer camps that extend the time their children
are engaged in activities that support their academic growth. In contrast, low-income parents say it is
difficult to find enriching, affordable, safe, and conveniently located activities for their children. viii
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University concluded that two-thirds of the achievement
gap between lower- and higher-income youth results from unequal access to summer
learning opportunities. ix Ensuring broad, equitable access to high-quality afterschool,
summer, and other enrichment programs can help to bridge this gap. x
High-quality, well-designed, and well-implemented out-of-school time programs can make the
difference, offering:
• Academic enrichment and support;
• The opportunity to build personal skills, cultivate new interests, and to develop
meaningful relationships with peers and supportive adults; and
• The opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities.
Quality programs typically share a set of characteristics, including mechanisms for ongoing
communication between staff, participants, and families; strong administrative structures; and
financially stable organizations. xi
High-quality out-of-school time programs, such as community or school-based mentoring, tutoring,
and family-focused services offered in schools, have been shown to improve outcomes for children and
youth. At the same time, poorly designed or poorly implemented programs can have a negative impact
on student development and academic achievement. xii
This impact is supported by more than a decade of research and evaluation studies. These studies show
that children and youth who participate in these programs improve in key areas that foster success
in school, including social and emotional development, increased interest and engagement in school,
homework completion rates, improved classroom grades and performance on standardized tests, and
avoidance of risky behaviors. xiii One review of 35 studies, for example, reported that the test scores of
low-income, at-risk youth improved significantly in both reading and mathematics after they participated
8

in afterschool programs. xiv Such high-quality afterschool initiatives are a proven way to address the
issues and risk factors that lead to dropout and provide a path to graduation and beyond. xv
A growing number of high-quality programs that serve middle and high school students are also having
a positive impact on high school course selection, attendance, credit accumulation, and graduation
rates. For older youth, high-quality programs implementing approaches that show promise for keeping
students engaged in learning – including mentoring and tutoring, service learning, project-based and
experiential learning opportunities – make them potentially potent tools for preventing dropout.
In addition, quality programs can also make an impact by expanding the educational environment through
the use of educational technology; focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM); making the most of the wider community through school-community collaborations and career
and technical education; and ensuring that schools are safe places to learn.
Quality middle school out-of-school time programs connect academics to real-world experiences and
the workplace, offer academic assistance, and support young people in the transition to high school.
Furthermore, programs that offer young people opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with
peers and adults are more likely to attract and retain students. xvi
In high school, these programs also engage and support students, but with greater focus on high school
graduation, successful transitions to and preparation for college, and developing relevant skills for
success in the workplace. xvii The high school out-of-school time programs that are most promising for
reaching the 2018 graduation goals are those that support individual learning plans and college or career
aspirations, provide opportunities to learn a specific skill or trade (such as through internships and
apprenticeships), offer opportunities for college credit, and are flexible enough to adapt to increasing
demands on students’ time. xviii
Despite a growing understanding regarding the positive impacts of high-quality, well-implemented
programs, ensuring that students, especially low-income youth, have access to them remains a
challenge.
9

ROLES FOR UNITED WAY – WORLDWIDE AND LOCAL
Communities need systemic approaches that address challenges related to access, quality, participation,
and sustainability in order to realize the full benefits of out-of-school time. United Ways are already
trusted community conveners, communicators, mobilizers, connectors, and funders. They can use these
existing strengths to help communities (individuals, organizations, institutions, and others) to fully
realize out-of-school time programs as an important strategy for supporting student success. United
Ways can deepen and strengthen existing efforts to ensure that community and school-based programs
are high-quality, relevant, engaging, age-appropriate, accessible, and effectively targeted to serve
those most in need.
United Ways are increasingly supporting out-of-school time initiatives in their communities. In a survey
conducted by United Way Worldwide in summer 2010, 95 percent of local United Way respondents
indicated that their United Way funded out-of-school time programs and 91 percent noted this effort as
a key priority within their broader community impact work with education, health, and income.
In doing this work, United Ways bring unique capacities and experiences that add value at the local
level and position local United Ways and their partners to advance out-of-school time programs in
their communities as a significant strategy for reducing the high school dropout rate. United Way’s
core strengths – a national network, committed partners, volunteer networks, and public engagement
capacity – position local United Ways to accomplish this goal.
United Ways can leverage their relationships with the business community by recruiting employees as
mentors and tutors for disadvantaged youth who may not have adult role models, providing what Johns
Hopkins University researcher Dr. Robert Balfanz calls “the second shift of caring adults.” United Way
affinity groups, such as Women’s Leadership Councils and Young Leaders, are increasingly taking on
mentoring and tutoring as part of their contribution to driving education and financial stability strategies.
Research proves that caring volunteers working with students of all ages, have the power to help kids
boost academic achievement and put young people on track for a bright future. That’s why United Way
Worldwide has launched an effort to recruit one million new volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. To
learn more, visit www.liveunited.org/volunteer.
United Way Worldwide is committed to supporting its network in mobilizing communities working on
out-of-school time through technical assistance and grants provided with the support and funding of
jcpenney Afterschool. In previous years, with the support of jcpenney Afterschool, United Way Worldwide
seeded grants and technical assistance to local United Ways to deepen their work on out-of-school
time. These grants were used to map existing out-of-school time programs; develop communitywide
out-of-school time action agendas; and engage youth and parents in the process. These grants have
strengthened the capacity of United Ways to deepen their afterschool work to align them with community
efforts and needs.
10

UNITED WAY SUPPORTING COMMUNITY OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME
EFFORTS
Since 2008, with the support of jcpenney Afterschool, United Way Worldwide has fielded three rounds
of Community Pilot Initiative grants to local United Ways for them to work on out-of-school time issues.
Collectively, the United Ways that received these grants focused their efforts on building shared
knowledge of the out-of-school time programs currently in their communities – understanding the
quality of these programs; addressing the gaps in data, services, and supports; and engaging key
constituencies (e.g., youth, parents) to get a better sense of the types of supports that young people
need.
A total of ten United Ways received these grants in three cohorts (grants beginning 2008, 2010, and
2011): United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg (Virginia) (cohort 1); United Way of Greater Kansas
City (Missouri) (cohort 1); Greater Twin Cities United Way (Minnesota) (cohort 2); Valley of the Sun United
Way (Phoenix, Arizona) (cohort 2); United Way of Greater New Orleans (Louisiana) (cohort 2); United Way
for Greater Austin (Texas) (cohort 3); United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (Boston,
Massachusetts) (cohort 3); United Way of Seneca County (New York state) (cohort 3); United Way of Tampa
Bay (now part of United Way Suncoast; Florida) (cohort 3); and United Way of Tulare County (California)
(cohort 3). Their work illustrates how United Ways have mobilized their communities in support of outof-school
time.
These grants were designed to:
• Build the capacity of local United Ways to deepen their out-of-school time work so that it
is aligned with existing community efforts and needs;
• Integrate afterschool program support as a key strategy in the local United Way’s
community impact agenda;
• Increase local United Way leadership and visibility in the area of out-of-school time;
• Position United Ways as trusted conveners of community stakeholders to address critical
issues in out-of-school time (e.g., quality, access, sustainability); and
• Leverage local partnerships to support United Way’s out-of-school time efforts.
The grant asked local United Ways to develop an action agenda for out-of-school time rooted in
community needs and aspirations. To do this, United Ways had to use building blocks of mobilization.
The building blocks refer to the actions that United Ways must undertake to fully transition to community
impact and engage their communities; focus on outcomes; and measure success by the number of lives
positively changed, rather than simply by dollars raised. Local United Ways were asked to:
• Engage with the community by convening out-of-school time stakeholders, including
youth, parents, and others, to discuss community needs in this area and develop
consensus;
• Deepen relationships with people and organizations by involving them substantively in
the work, and by reaching out to new partners to develop shared action agendas;
• Develop strategies and focus actions by co-creating an action agenda with the community
on out-of-school time, including goals, strategies, metrics, and indicators of progress;
• Mobilize resources, including their own as well as those in the community, and address
afterschool resource development as a part of the action agenda;
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• Align and execute plans and strategies by incorporating them into their overall community
impact agenda; and
• Measure, evaluate, and communicate results by sharing ongoing progress with the
broader community in multiple formats over time.
UWW technical assistance to local United Ways focused on capacity building and developing a community
to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Delivery mechanisms for technical assistance support included
webinars, in-person meetings, individual grantee calls, and group conference calls.
These local United Ways, in working in the community on out-of-school time, have built a portfolio of
activities, including strategy development, data gathering and sharing, coalition-building, funding, and
leveraging other resources such as volunteers. Working on out-of-school time has developed into a key
strategy in these United Ways’ community impact agendas. United Way jcpenney Afterschool Community
Pilot grantees, have been able to increase their leadership and visibility in the area of out-of-school time,
better position their organizations as trusted conveners of community stakeholders on this issue, and
have strengthened local partnerships.
12

KEY SUGGESTIONS FROM THE FIELD: LESSONS LEARNED
While each United Way receiving a Community Pilot Initiative grant was asked to work in similar ways,
community contexts varied widely and each executed differently. Some found a community filled with
ready partners and an organized youth development culture. Others had a much more basic starting
point. This issue brief ties together all of these disparate experiences and illuminates some of the
shared lessons.
Local Snapshot: United Way for Greater Austin (Texas)
Goal: To actively engage volunteers, a cross-departmental team of staff, and a broad array of external community
stakeholders, including youth, leading to a formal action agenda for out-of-school time activities and programs
In Austin, Texas, the United Way for Greater Austin (UWGA) was able to capitalize on existing in-depth academic
achievement work focused on three high-needs community middle schools. UWGA used the Community Pilot
Initiative grant to strengthen the out-of-school time elements of its “Middle School Matters” initiative. By building
on this existing concentration, UWGA was able to dive deeply into its planning as well as leverage the Community
Pilot Initiative to better engage its community.
“This provided us an opportunity to broaden what we are doing, to engage our partners in a different way,” says
Laura LaFuente, Director, Target Graduation at UWGA. “We engaged the community in conversations about what
does quality look like” UWGA began with professionally convened youth focus groups to learn more about their
aspirations and concerns, and brought this data into a community conversation. United Way for Greater Austin
made it a point to work with key partners, one of which is the Central Texas Afterschool Network. UWGA helped
facilitate the development and launching of a survey to support the mapping study.
UWGA is moving methodically as it develops its action agenda. “Previously, we had the opportunity to take advantage
of technical assistance, and we moved right to implementation,” says LaFuente. “Here we are trying to develop a
plan, so it has a greater likelihood of actually being implemented.”
For more, see page 26.
Sources for this information include the final reports issued by each United Way as a condition of the
grant, reports from United Way Worldwide, as well as telephone interviews with key staff at nine local
United Ways. Community Pilot Initiative interviewees included United Ways from each of the three
cohorts:
• Laura LaFuente, Director, Target Graduation, United Way for Greater Austin (Texas);
• Katherine Rivard, Senior Issue Manager, Community Impact, United Way of Greater
Kansas City (Missouri);
• Meghan Barp, Director, Education Impact Area, Greater Twin Cities United Way
(Minnesota);
• Sandra Booth, Director, Community Initiatives, Education, United Way of Greater
Richmond & Petersburg (Virginia);
• Bobbi Davis, Resource Development Manager, Children’s Board (for United Way of Tampa
Bay, Florida);
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• Argelia Flores, former Director, Community Initiatives, United Way of Tulare County
(California); and
• Karen Beals, Executive Director, and Connie Richardson, Director of Community
Partnerships, both at United Way of Seneca County (New York).
In addition, interviews were conducted with Gina Gallo, Youth Success Manager, United Way of Asheville
and Buncombe County (North Carolina), and Karen Napier, Director of Education Initiatives, Metro United
Way (Louisville, Kentucky). These United Ways have significant experience in working in out-of-school
time.
The key suggestions below reflect the collected voices of these interviews as well as a review of their
reports. In addition, to provide more context, the specific experiences of each of the cohort 3 grantees
are excerpted in sidebars throughout this report and detailed further in a section at the end.
14

SUGGESTION #1: MAP THE OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME LANDSCAPE
Without knowing where assets and needs are, good and informed decisions are
impossible. Many communities working on out-of-school time issues begin without
a clear understanding of where the programs literally are in the community, and
what kinds of outcomes they are producing. Gaining this understanding can be
transformative, identifying unmet needs and galvanizing support.
Potential Impact: Baseline of knowledge, a framework to gather ongoing data and better focus resources.
In the communities of many of the United Ways interviewed for this report, there were initially large,
basic knowledge gaps. There was no central point where information had been collected. LaFuente, in
Austin, Texas, said, “I think people were surprised to learn that we don’t know how many kids are in outof-school
time programs consistently. People were surprised to learn that we can’t tell you how many
kids are in a program, how many kids are in a quality program, and what the impact of that is.”
LaFuente is not alone in her observation. In Louisville, the United Way also realized it had to start out
by asking the basics. “[We had to ask,] where are the programs, where are the children, where do they
live” said Karen Napier, Director of Education Initiatives.
Local Snapshot: United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (Massachusetts)
Goal: To achieve community consensus resulting in an action plan that will increase the role that out-of-school time
can play to influence key educational outcomes
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMBMV) mounted an ambitious response to the
opportunity presented by the Community Pilot Initiative, making it a priority to gather starting-point data from a
wide range of sources and to go in-depth and drive change in one key community.
Lynn, north of Boston, has long been considered a community of need within Massachusetts. It is consistently
among the top ten communities with the highest share of limited English proficiency students and low-income
students. This is the community where UWMBMV focused its work.
The effort began with a “data walk” that looked at the community’s early care and education, school readiness, K-12
education, health, safety, income/employment, housing, and community economic development areas to identify
strengths and challenges for discussion with community members. The staff also developed and fielded a youth
survey on existing youth assets and relationships with adults, and existing vs. desired out-of-school time activities.
“Do your homework,” says the UWMBMV report on this work. “Know the community level statistics; uncover the
challenges but also the strengths; start from a position of strength (most people are proud of their community!). . .
Listen, listen, listen – this is about and for the local community. Keep it local.”
For more, see page 27.
Once they began digging into the terrain, some communities found that there were mismatches between
what existed and what youth in the community needed. “In our mapping project,” said Gallo, in Asheville,
North Carolina, “we learned that there was nothing for kids in the eastern part of the county. Nothing.”
Rivard, in Kansas City, had a similar realization:
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[You need to] take time to really understand the field on the ground in your
community. Talk to youth workers, talk to site supervisors, talk to youth if you can,
get a strong understanding of what’s there. When we started, we realized we didn’t
even have the landscape of what’s available. Now we have made a landscape map.
University of Kansas did research with us, and found 780 programs. Now we have that
map. You can see where there are gaps, where there was a whole lot of one thing. For
example, in our urban core there is lots of focus on academics. For the early childhood
field, this information already existed. But there was nothing like it for out-of-school time.
One key aspect of understanding the community context was hearing the voices of youth themselves. The
Community Pilot Initiative grant asked United Ways to listen to the community and to include young people. In
Boston, for example, the United Way developed and fielded a youth survey on existing youth assets.
Other United Ways used focus groups and community conversations that were composed primarily of
youth, in addition to inviting youth to take part in broader community conversations. Austin, Texas, for
instance, held nine focus groups, with separate groups for male and female students as well as parents.
The staff developed a report out of those focus groups that highlighted these voices and what was
learned from these groups, including differences between them:
Consistently, we learned that both students and parents want more from out-of-school
programming: better communication with families, more cumulative projects tied to
technology, more sports in afterschool, more cooking classes and hands-on activities.
We also learned how important out-of-school programming is for both students and
families. Students reported that out-of-school programming was often a refuge from
the pressures of both school and home – a place they could be themselves with their
friends. Parents reported that they often depended on out-of-school programs so that
their children were not home alone before they get off work. Parents also stated that
out-of-school programs were important in making sure their children stayed active
and learned new skills.
Armed with a map, with a clear understanding of the voices in the community, and with emerging
information about program quality and outcomes, United Ways involved in these community out-ofschool
time initiatives found that it became possible to make new decisions with more assurance. It was
important to gather ongoing data about program impacts – which came as a result of ongoing program
quality self-assessments. These three components provided an important field of vision.
The Louisville United Way described the kind of impact the data and the map could have:
The Salvation Army decided it could not support two local Boys & Girls clubs
financially anymore. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana looked at picking them
up, but we first looked at data. The data showed that it was absolutely important to
keep one site open. But the other was placed poorly. We had to shift the other site by
a couple of blocks. I was there for the reopening of that one, and it was incredible. The
number of kids that they reconnected with was incredible.
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SUGGESTION #2: MEASURE PROGRAM QUALITY
It is important to be able to show the impact that programs are having. But, many outof-school
time programs did not have a way to assess their own impact and quality.
Programs often use different approaches to show impact, so comparisons cannot
be made. United Ways can help to develop a common language and understanding
of quality across programs. Moreover, United Ways can use their vantage point as
significant investors in out-of-school time programs to use quality improvement
approaches that tie professional development to specific areas that need support.
Potential Impact: A culture of quality among youth development programs and mechanisms to assess
and improve it.
Many United Ways used the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality’s “Youth Program Quality
Assessment” tool to make quality improvements in the programs they directly supported. This tool asks
programs to do continual self-assessments based on evidence and observations. It provides a way for
programs to see what is working and what is not. For many programs, according to the United Ways
interviewed for this report, making these observations in a systematic way was transformative. Before,
many out-of-school time program staff members could not point to evidence of their good work.
Local Snapshot: United Way of Tampa Bay (Florida)
Goal: Develop and implement a high-quality, relevant Out-of-School Time model that serves middle and high school
students in Hillsborough County
United Way of Tampa Bay (now part of United Way Suncoast) in Hillsborough County already was a member of the
Partnership for Out Of School Time (POST), a communitywide effort to coordinate out-of-school time activities and
programs to improve middle school and high school readiness and completion. This broad coalition, funded by the
local group the Children’s Board, was begun in 2006 and provided an excellent platform upon which to build. The
Community Pilot Initiative was a natural extension of this work.
“We presented this early on to the Partnership, in the hopes there would be support,” Bobbi Davis, Resource
Development Manager at Children’s Board and leader of this effort, says. “From the get-go it was community
initiative, which really helped us.”
The United Way of Tampa Bay’s (UWTB) work developing its action plan and business plan resulted in an integrated
set of strategies. UWTB uses these strategic areas of focus to determine how best to align investment and resource
allocation decisions, tracks existing programs using them as metrics, and shares progress using them as a
framework for communication.
“Our next big step is not just involving organizations and agencies, but parents – so we can help them understand
in a better way how important OST is,” says Davis. “It still flies under a lot of people’s radar. We are not just keeping
people’s kids alive until they pick them up; there are a lot of benefits.”
For more, see page 29.
According to Gina Gallo, the Youth Success Manager of the Asheville, North Carolina, United Way and
coordinator of its out-of-school time efforts, “It is all well and good to send kids to programs, but if they
are not high quality they will have no effect.” In fact, according to Sandra Booth, Director of Community
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Initiatives in education at the Richmond, Virginia, United Way, “The quality of your program dictates the
amount of youth engagement, whether they show up.” Laura LaFuente, Director, Target Graduation at
the Austin, Texas, United Way agreed: “If what you are looking for is a babysitter, that’s one thing, but if
you are looking for a quality program, that’s another.”
And, while it is easy to simply say that quality is important, it is yet another thing to be able to show where
individual programs are succeeding and where they can improve. Before these initiatives, according to
the United Way coordinators interviewed for this report, many programs relied on instinct when it came
to determining their impact. Or, they saw the prospect as so daunting that they shied away from it. In
this initiative, community members and out-of-school time stakeholders looked at outcome measures
across a set of multiple programs using a consistent approach. This provided a baseline that could be
tracked over time and also helped identify variations in quality.
However, these United Ways report, as programs began to look closely at their own practices and to
connect those to evidence of impact, light bulbs began to go off. Gallo, in Asheville, described hearing
about how important it was “just for people to know what indicators of a quality program were. ‘Just
knowing this, I can start to change my practice,’ they would say to me.”
Katherine Rivard, the Community Impact Manager of the United Way of Greater Kansas City, described
the transformative effect that focusing on quality can have:
At one [program] site, they told us a wonderful story: “When you move to a quality
model, the kids begin to decide many of the activities. It is much more youth-directed.
That was very scary for our staff at first. Many people are trained on a care model,
adult-driven. But this is youth-driven. Once we made the shift (which took months),
we were amazed because enrollment increased and youth were telling their peers,
‘You really ought to come to this, it’s so cool,’ which is by far the best advertising.
Parents were saying to their kids that they were ready to quit paying for afterschool
programs, that the kids had gotten old enough not to need them, but the kids wanted
to continue.”
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SUGGESTION #3: LEVERAGE PASSION TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALS
While people working in youth development are very passionate, they often operate in
isolation from others doing similar work. They can easily feel burned out. Convening
and sharing together became a powerful experience and energized a sense of
professionalism in a field that is ripe for it.
Potential Impact: Increased sense of professionalism as well as inclusion on the part of youth
development workers.
In many of the communities
these United Ways were a
part of, out-of-school time
was not a “field.” People
worked on their own,
programs worked on their
own, there was little sense
overall of professionalism
– because there was no
one convening afterschool
workers and talking to them
as if they were colleagues.
This was a powerful piece of
learning for the United Ways
involved in this initiative:
“There was no network
for out-of-school time
providers,” said Katherine Rivard of Kansas City, “no place for them to get together and share challenges,
talk about what’s working, what’s not. You start with a training session, and then over the first couple of
months there was this gratitude we didn’t anticipate. Being recognized as a profession was huge. Sites
were saying there is no professional association for youth workers, no forum to get together and talk
about challenges and share what works.”
Kansas City’s experience was by no means isolated. In Asheville, North Carolina, a similar thing
happened. The local United Way began convening sessions where youth development workers could
“talk shop.” It became wildly successful. “It’s professional development for youth workers,” said Gallo.
“It’s just a once per month learning activity, brown bag lunch. We’ve had seven so far, and we have 99
people from 34 organizations coming. . . . I’m surprised by the level of support and devotion to this work
from people in other organizations. ‘I am not here in the service of my own ego,’ they say, ‘I am just here
to serve kids. I do not care if I get credit.’” Meghan Barp in the Twin Cities agreed: “What encourages me
the most is that people care so deeply about this work, and about youth voices being a part of this work.”
This attitude of devotion, while important, is also not enough. According to Asheville’s Gallo: “In youth
development, there are often very well-intentioned people with no training. That is not enough. You
won’t get the results you need.”
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SUGGESTION #4: CREATE AND COORDINATE AN ALIGNED NETWORK
Young people are a responsibility of the whole community. Many organizations and
others are part of supporting their development. It is crucial to be able to coordinate
services to close gaps, avoid duplicating efforts, and demonstrate the contributions
of multiple community stakeholders. United Ways have relationships with many
community stakeholders – out-of-school time providers, schools, community and
faith-based organizations, businesses, etc., that can be leveraged to create stronger
alignment, coordination, and communication.
Potential Impact: Coordinated groups working in complementary ways, sharing knowledge, filling
gaps, and maximizing collective impact.
A common element of these community United Way initiatives was to convene and develop aligned
networks of programs and people working in out-of-school time in the community. In many cases, United
Ways served as a convener, a central hub where regular meetings could take place.
Local Snapshot: United Way of Seneca County (New York)
Goal: Community engagement with increased awareness of local resources and partners within the school and
from the community – including business and workforce partners; Improved opportunities and support for youth to
increase graduation rates
United Way of Seneca County, New York (UWSC), faced a challenge as it embarked on its work in out-of-school time.
The state was facing a budget crisis that had forced major cuts on education. On top of that, a comprehensive,
locally well-regarded afterschool program called “Surge” had been eliminated due to the budget problems. United
Way of Seneca County had launched and led Surge. It faced resentment and fear from community members who
simply wanted their old program back.
UWSC had to help establish a new community capacity to provide out-of-school time programming for young
people in Seneca County. To do this, it worked across boundaries and convened a cross section of organizations,
community members, and leaders. “We had a history of a Cadillac program (Surge) and this was in people’s minds,”
says Connie Richardson, Director of Community Partnerships for UWSC. “There was a lot of community frustration.”
The coalition formed an action plan to move forward. One key piece of this plan was that it shifted its focus from
communitywide to taking place in just one school district that showed clear interest.
Through patient engagement with its partners, UWSC was able to achieve a different kind of environment in the
community. Different organizations have begun offering smaller-scale programs. According to Richardson, “The
community and the school learned they had to let go of their former knowledge of out-of-school time as a place
and a program where others did it for them. They had to broaden their definition. It didn’t have to be that kids are
signing in from 2:30 to 5:30 with teachers guiding it. They became owners of those experiences. That was huge.”
For more, see page 28.
This connecting and coordinating function is important, according to most of the community United
Way staff interviewed for this issue brief. It can reduce duplication and ensure that gaps in the offerings
throughout the community are filled. In Richmond, for example, Sandra Booth shared, “[When we are
done] we will have a much more coordinated system in terms of opportunities. Where there are gaps in
20

communities, we are at a point that we can collaborate and say, ‘Who can go there, who would make
sense’”
The resulting alignment was near the top of the list when it came to identifying tangible, lasting impacts.
As Laura LaFuente of Austin, Texas, put it, “We’re all working on the same pieces right now.” In Kansas
City, Katherine Rivard said, “One big thing that has come out of having created this is that there is a
group of constituents now that care about this issue. There is a collaboration now that is in place that is
focused on youth work. We’ve been focused on quality, but we can also advocate at the state level for
more funding, and do other things.”
In Tampa, Florida, one benefit of this coordinating network was that it made it easier to make the most
of resources. “ Here, in this environment, funding is getting cut everywhere,” said Bobbi Davis, the
Resource Development Manager at the Children’s Board and a partner in the out-of-school time initiative.
“Any way we can pool resources and move forward is fabulous.”
The Director of Education for the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Meghan Barp, emphasized that
coordination among all the players was critical to the United Way’s impact, too. Twin Cities support for
out-of-school time programs decreased from $12 million to $8 million per year. This was a major funding
reduction with repercussions throughout the community. “Eight million dollars seems significant,”
said Barp, “but how do we effectively align with other partners and funders We need to maximize the
investment, and to do that we know we can’t do it all alone. We’ve learned we need to sit at the table as
a thought partner (and thought leader) with others. We can’t just be a grant maker, in a silo.”
Argelia Flores, former Director of Community Initiatives at the Tulare, California, United Way, described
how important coordination can be when it comes to overcoming silos and to generating impact on the
ground:
One community-based out-of-school time program staffer talked with the
superintendent of the district, and said, “We’re having difficulty bringing in our
numbers, because we need the kids here, but they are telling us they need to be at
another afterschool activity [in the school building, at the same time].” This was just a
one-minute conversation, but it was like a thunderbolt. The superintendent said, “I did
not know you were doing that. We can work together so that both our programs are
meeting their needs.” The student had been a ping-pong ball, but now he participates
in both programs. They were right next door to each other and they did not realize
this was happening. Now, silos have begun break down. There are bridges now. It’s
the willingness to say, “My program is doing this; here is how we can support your
program.”
In Seneca County, New York, the community had recently been hit with bad news when the local United
Way began its out-of-school time work. A major program lost its funding, leaving a void in the day-to-day
lives of many young people. Through the convening work of the United Way of Seneca Valley, according
to Executive Director Karen Beals, “The community has learned it does not have to be one program. From
these conversations, our library is now offering specific programs for teenagers after school, in the early
evening. Our historical society has been doing more educational programs. We have a teacher that has
been doing some programming once or twice a month – it does not have to be regular. It can be bits and
pieces. It is not a day care, every day, but the kids are aware that there are things going on.”
21

In Tampa, Twin Cities, and Seneca County, this network-convening function was a critical piece of
overcoming funding and other program reductions. The coordination and alignment aspects were not
just theoretical, nice-to-have elements of the afterschool work in the community – they became, instead,
tangible assets that in many cases had not been in place beforehand.
These United Ways found that collegiality is critical in the proper functioning of their convened networks.
According to Bobbi Davis in Tampa, “You can say you’re a partner but if you don’t communicate and
share, it falls apart.” Others agree. “Relationships,” said Sandra Booth, Director of Youth Initiatives at
United Way in Richmond, in answer to a question about what was the most important thing to keep in
mind. “It really matters how well you can negotiate – and the trusting and follow-through. That is the
only reason we have gotten to where we are. It is such a huge component.”
22

UNITED WAY MOVING FORWARD
United Ways are community mobilizers, conveners, and funders. They are able to use their position
to partner with stakeholders, engage communities, and mobilize them around change focused on
issues of common concern; they help to convene key stakeholders and facilitate conversations focused
on change; and they continue to fund-raise and strategically allocate resources to local agencies that
provide important community services and supports.
Collectively, United Ways generate $1 billion in resources that are dedicated to children and youth.
United Way Worldwide believes that every community must support all children and youth so that they
enter school ready to succeed; read proficiently by 4th grade; make a successful transition in and out of
middle school; graduate from high school on time; and are ready for success in college, work, and life.
As part of our education impact work, UWW continues to seed innovation throughout the country aligned
to these five focus areas. Our intent is to strengthen the capacity of local United Ways to effectively lead
and facilitate education change in their communities. This is described in detail in Charting a Course for
Change: Advancing Education, Income And Health Through Collective Impact, United Way Worldwide’s
“roadmap” for achieving impact in these and other areas by 2018. (Download the strategy document at
unway.3cdn.net/5872dd81d8ce449dff_1qm6yxly7.pdf.)
In addition to the four key suggestions in this report about how to approach community-based outof-school
time, United Way Worldwide’s work so far with local United Ways has also generated a set
of insights on local execution as well as national leadership. We believe that since the opportunity
presented by the leverage point of out-of-school time is so great, we need to maximize the chance of
success.
If local United Ways are to show impact in out-of-school time efforts, they will need to:
• Make the case to their boards, volunteers, and donors for continued or increased
investment in out-of-school time.
• Leverage all parts of their organizational work to deepen their out-of-school time efforts
– including building in opportunities to give, advocate or volunteer to support out-ofclassroom
efforts into annual workforce campaigns, year-round donor engagement
strategies and volunteer events like Day of Action or Days of Caring.
• Understand the latest expertise and information in out-of-school time to better prepare
them for the role they often play as intermediaries and system-builders in their
communities.
• Strengthen their own out-of-school time grant-making so their direct investments are
based on supporting quality programs that produce positive results for participants rather
than sustaining historical funding relationships.
• Partner with existing out-of-school time networks or coalitions, as well as engage key
stakeholders in the work to establish their credibility as leaders in their communities on
this issue.
• Take advantage of existing state and federal funding streams in moving forward with
out-of-school time efforts (such as USDA lunch, snack, and supper programs, and 21st
Century Community Learning Centers).
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United Way Worldwide can and should provide national leadership by working with national partners
and other interested stakeholders to sustain a national environment that helps to catalyze local action.
This includes:
Making the Case – United Way Worldwide can help make the case – within the network, external
stakeholders, and the general public – about the importance of out-of-school time as one important
strategy for cutting the dropout rate by 2018 and increasing the number of students who graduate
high school prepared for college, work, and life. United Way Worldwide can also channel our network’s
collective voice and advocate for policies that sustain public investment in out-of-school time.
• Leveraging Core Organizational Strengths to Advance the Work – United Way Worldwide
can encourage local United Ways to leverage all parts of their organizational work to
deepen their out-of-school time efforts. Volunteers can be engaged and matched with
related programs that could use more adult presence and support; local businesses and
corporate partners might be asked to lend their time, talent, and expertise to mentor
youth in out-of-school time programs, or to provide internships and career exploration
opportunities for older youth; donors might be asked to advocate for sustained public,
private, and philanthropic investment in these initiatives.
• Increasing Visibility – United Way Worldwide’s national leadership can help shine a
light on the network’s overall investment in out-of-school time and on the work that local
United Ways are already doing in out-of-school time to strengthen quality, expand access,
leverage existing resources, and improve results for participants.
• Sharing Best Practices – United Way Worldwide can continue to grow local United Way
capacity in this area by facilitating access to the latest expertise as well as support to
strengthen their own out-of-school time grant making, sustaining a learning community to
share promising practices and experiences, and developing tools and other resources.
• Strengthening Connections – United Way Worldwide can help connect our network
to existing coalitions, advocacy groups, state afterschool networks, and others who
are actively advancing this issue so that efforts at the national, state, and local levels
complement and support one another.
Ensuring that high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities are available to all students
who need them requires a systemic, big-picture approach that is not piecemeal or focused on individual
programs. Given the reach of our network and the relationships, partnerships, and resources United
Ways can collectively leverage, the network is well-positioned to help facilitate a systemic approach to
improving out-of-school time as part of larger strategic efforts to improve middle grades success and
increase high school graduation rates.
This work and the resulting lessons learned, would not have been possible without the investment of
jcpenney Afterschool. United Way Worldwide is pleased to have had the significant support of jcpenney
to build on these successes and deepen our work on out-of-school time.
24

RESOURCES
United Way Worldwide. (2012). Out-of-School Time Online Toolkit. Available at: outofschooltime.
unitedway.org/.
United Way Worldwide and Harvard Family Research Project. (2011). The Family Engagement for High
School Success Toolkit: Planning and implementing an initiative to support the pathway to graduation for
at-risk students. Available at: www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/the-familyengagement-for-high-school-success-toolkit-planning-and-implementing-an-initiative-to-supportthe-pathway-to-graduation-for-at-risk-students.
United Way Worldwide. (2012).
Charting a Course for Change: Advancing Education, Income and Health Through Collective Impact .
UWW’s “roadmap” for driving education, income and health strategies. Download the strategy document
at unway.3cdn.net/5872dd81d8ce449dff_1qm6yxly7.pdf.
Harvard Family Research Project. (2010). Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-level Strategies to
Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time. Available at: hfrp.org/EngagingOlderYouth.
Harvard Family Research Project. (2011). Afterschool Evaluation 101: How to Evaluate an Expanded
Learning Program. Available at: www.hfrp.org/AfterschoolEvaluation101.
The Wallace Foundation. (2010). Hours of Opportunity: Lessons from Five Cities on Building Systems to
Improve After-School, Summer, and Other Out-of-School-Time Programs (Volumes I, II and III). Available
at: www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/after-school/key-research/Documents/Hours-of-
Opportunity-1-Lessons-After-School-Summer-OST.pdf.
The Forum for Youth Investment. (2010). Measuring Youth Program Quality: Guide to Assessment Tools.
Available at: www.forumfyi.org/files/MeasuringYouthProgramQuality_2ndEd.pdf.
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS
Following are more detailed descriptions of the programs highlighted in sidebars in this report.
United Way for Greater Austin (Texas)
Goal: To actively engage volunteers, a cross-departmental team of staff, and a broad array of external
community stakeholders, including youth, leading to a formal action agenda for out-of-school time
activities and programs
In Texas, the United Way for Greater Austin (UWGA) was able to capitalize on existing in-depth academic
achievement work focused on three high-needs community middle schools. In doing this, UWGA faced a
number of significant challenges. During the last decade, Austin’s demographic makeup has undergone
a major shift. While Texas has the fastest-growing child population in the nation, in Central Texas the
child population is growing at twice the Texas rate. The low-income child population has grown three
times faster than the general population. In Austin, nearly a third of students do not graduate from high
school. Some neighborhoods have dropout rates that exceed 60 percent.
Against this backdrop, UWGA used the Community Pilot Initiative grant to strengthen the out-of-school
time elements of its “Middle School Matters” initiative. By building on this existing concentration,
UWGA was able to dive deeply into its planning as well as leverage the Community Pilot Initiative to
better engage its community.
“This provided us an opportunity to broaden what we are doing, to engage our partners in a different
way,” says Laura LaFuente, Director, Target Graduation at UWGA. “We engaged the community in
conversations about what does quality look like” UWGA began with professionally convened youth
focus groups to learn more about their aspirations and concerns, and brought this data into a community
conversation. UWGA followed these steps:
• Conducted focus groups with middle school students and parents, using outside
researchers at focus group facilities
• Hosted a planning meeting with key out-of-school time stakeholders to plan the larger
out-of-school time community
• Hosted an all-day out-of-school time stakeholder meeting to develop an out-of-school
time system and action agenda
• Formed a steering committee to create the Out-of-School Time for Middle School Youth
Action Agenda
United Way for Greater Austin made it a point to work with key partners, one of which is the Central
Texas Afterschool Network. UWGA helped facilitate the development and launch of a survey to support
the mapping study. The findings from this study will be incorporated into the out-of-school time action
agenda.
UWGA is moving methodically as it develops its action agenda. “Previously, we had the opportunity to
take advantage of technical assistance, and we moved right to implementation,” says LaFuente. “Here
we are trying to develop a plan, so it has a greater likelihood of actually being implemented.”
Accomplishments show that the approach has been successful. UWGA became a visible leader in the
out-of-school time area, which led to being selected as the Central Texas Afterschool Network’s partner
26

for 2011. And, Austin has been selected as one of the five cities that will be studied for an upcoming
Wallace Foundation publication on quality in out-of-school time.
Key partners:
• Shirlene Justice – Afterschool Administrator, 21st CCLC Grant Program, Austin
Independent School District, and Board President, Texas Partnership for Out-of-School
Time
• Tameka Thomas – Director of Afterschool, Manor Independent School District
• Laurie Celli – Director, Community Services, ACE Bastrop – Afterschool Centers on
Education, Bastrop Independent School District
• Dr. Raphael Travis Jr. – Assistant Professor, Texas State University, and Board Member,
Texas Partnership for Out of School Time
• Sarah Rinner – President, Central Texas Afterschool Network
• Maria Allen – Grants Coordinator, Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services
Department, Family and Youth Services, City of Austin
• Sandra Valenzuela – Senior Planner/Resource Development Coordinator, Travis County
Health and Human Services & Veterans Service
• Sarah Stone – Senior Program Coordinator for Middle School Matters, Communities in
Schools Central Texas
• Lydia Domaruk – County Extension Agent, Urban Youth Development, Texas AgriLife
Extension Service
• Erica Gallardo Taft – Director of Programs & Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
Goal: To achieve community consensus resulting in an action plan that will increase the role that outof-school
time can play to influence key educational outcomes
United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UWMBMV) mounted an ambitious response
to the opportunity presented by the Community Pilot Initiative, making it a priority to gather startingpoint
data from a wide range of sources and to go in-depth and drive change in one key community.
Lynn, north of Boston, has long been considered a community of need within Massachusetts. It is
consistently among the top ten communities with the highest share of limited English proficiency
students and low-income students. Forty-three percent of its residents live on income below 200
percent of the federal poverty threshold. Roughly 30 percent of children do not enter school ready to
learn. Three quarters of the Lynn student population is minority with nearly half Hispanic. This is the
community where UWMBMV focused its work.
The effort began with a “data walk” that looked at the community’s early care and education, school
readiness, K-12 education, health, safety, income/employment, housing, and community economic
development areas to identify strengths and challenges for discussion with community members.
This initial work was a starting point for activities that followed. Key activities:
• Identified 100 key stakeholders, ensuring representation from many categories
• Conducted stakeholder interviews using a common interview protocol and data-entry tool
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• Engaged with other existing community coalitions
• Developed and fielded a youth survey on existing youth assets and relationships with
adults, and existing vs. desired out-of-school time activities
• Engaged with Lynn Public Schools on an extensive existing “wraparound zone”
initiative
UWMBMV also worked hard to connect the community to the youth development work and to be able
to show “quick wins” that allowed the initiative to gain momentum. These accomplishments included:
a summer literacy program at three agencies, summer employment at nine agencies, and organizing
a donated playground in a housing development. UWMBMV recruited a “lead agency” to serve as a
local partner and to champion its work, making it easier to begin work quickly and to develop local
on-the-ground credibility.
Each step of this work has met with successful outcomes in varying degrees, including unanticipated
grants, new programs including being lead partner in a three-year plan to create “wraparound”
initiatives in all Lynn schools, and the youth survey generating over 2,000 respondents (well beyond
the planned-for 500 returns).
“Do your homework,” says the UWMBMV report on this work. “Know the community level statistics;
uncover the challenges but also the strengths; start from a position of strength (most people are
proud of their community!). . . . Listen, listen, listen – this is about and for the local community. Keep
it local.”
Key partners:
• Catherine Latham, Superintendent, and Sue Rowe, Executive Director of Curriculum and
Instruction – Lynn Public Schools
• Mark DeJoi – Executive Director, Serving People in Need (SPIN)
• Cynthia Christ – Chair and Executive Director, Gregg Neighborhood House; Lynn
Providers Alliance for Children, Youth and Families
• Other community stakeholders recruited from list of 100 stakeholders by stakeholder type
United Way of Seneca County (New York)
Goal: Community engagement with increased awareness of local resources and partners within the
school and from the community – including business and workforce partners; improved opportunities
and support for youth to increase graduation rates
United Way of Seneca County, New York (UWSC), faced a challenge as it embarked on its work in out-ofschool
time. The community itself has 21 percent of children under 18 living in poverty. The state was
facing a budget crisis that had forced major cuts in education. School administrators were scrambling
just to make ends meet. On top of that, a comprehensive, locally well-regarded afterschool program
called “Surge” had been eliminated due to the budget problems. United Way of Seneca County had
launched and led Surge. It faced resentment and fear from community members who simply wanted
their old program back.
UWSC had to help establish a new community capacity to provide out-of-school time programming for
young people in Seneca County. To do this, it worked across boundaries and convened a cross section of
organizations, community members, and leaders. Key activities:
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• Convened other community partners working in or who had interest in the issue
• Collaborated with this group to better understand context and update data on what
programs were already ongoing and where there were gaps
• Met with local school officials to keep them briefed and develop buy-in
• Convened community conversations to better understand people’s aspirations and
concerns
• Surveyed youth about their interests in out-of-school time programs and activities
“We had a history of a Cadillac program (Surge) and this was in people’s minds,” says Connie Richardson,
Director of Community Partnerships for UWSC. “There was a lot of community frustration.”
From all these elements, the coalition formed an action plan to move forward. One key piece of this plan
was that it shifted its focus from communitywide to taking place in just one school district that showed
clear interest.
Through patient engagement with its partners, UWSC was able to achieve a different kind of environment
in the community. Different organizations have begun offering smaller-scale programs. The offerings
are not as comprehensive as the previous grant-funded program, but they are broader-based and
involve more community stakeholders. UWSC also was able to drive increased interest from business
perspectives in out-of-school time efforts, as well as increased engagement in discussions about
afterschool by parents and school staff.
According to Richardson, “The community and the school learned they had to let go of their former
knowledge of out-of-school time as a place and a program where others did it for them. They had to
broaden their definition. It didn’t have to be that kids are signing in from 2:30 to 5:30 with teachers
guiding it. They became owners of those experiences. That was huge.”
Key partners:
• Robert McKeveny – Superintendent, Seneca Falls School District (SFCS)
• Andy Doell – School Principal, Chair of Community-School Team (SFCS)
• Peg Birmingham – Seneca County Division of Human Services, WorkForce Development
• Curt Finley – J C Penney Store Manager
• Gary Cziurczak – Via Evaluation
• Manohari Ratnakumar – ITT/Goulds (Community Member)
United Way of Tampa Bay [United Way Suncoast] (Florida)
Goal: Develop and implement a high-quality, relevant Out-of-School Time model that serves middle and
high school students in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County, Florida, population estimated at 1,169,860, covers a land area larger than the state
of Rhode Island and includes three incorporated municipalities. Tampa is the largest city in Hillsborough
County with a population of more than 326,000. The county is diverse, with 14.7 percent reporting they
are foreign born, and 24.4 percent who speak a language other than English at home. The median family
income is $61,450 with 9.6 percent of the population living on an annual income below the federal
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poverty level. Hillsborough County Schools is the eighth largest school district in the U.S., with more
than 192,000 students. The graduation rate in the district is at approximately 82 percent, and has been
improving steadily over the past five years.
United Way of Tampa Bay, in Hillsborough County, already was a member of the Partnership for Out Of
School Time (POST), a communitywide effort to coordinate out-of-school time activities and programs to
improve middle school and high school readiness and completion. This broad coalition, funded by the
local group the Children’s Board, was begun in 2006 and provided an excellent platform upon which to
build. The Community Pilot Initiative was a natural extension of this work.
“We presented this early on to the Partnership, in the hopes there would be support,” Bobbi Davis,
Resource Development Manager at Children’s Board and leader of this effort, says. “From the get-go it
was community initiative, which really helped us.”
Key activities:
• Strengthened relationships with existing POST members and connected to new entities
that would benefit the target youth, the community, and long-term success for UWTB
• Collected specific countywide data related to the various resources, needs, and gaps in
out-of-school time opportunities for middle and high school students
• Researched successful out-of-school time models serving middle and high school youth
and shared that information through community and partner conversations
• Developed community consensus and a shared vision for middle and high school
afterschool opportunities through conversations with youth, parents, educators,
business, providers, faith-based partners, public officials, the Florida Afterschool
Network, and others interested in and connected to the issue.
• Formulated an action plan that includes measurable targets and outcomes as well as
short- and long-term goals for serving middle and high school youth with out-of-school
time opportunities, along with a business plan that speaks to implementation.
Building off of that, the work developing the action plan and business plan resulted in an integrated
set of strategies. These include: create a coordinated system of information about middle school and
high school out-of-school time opportunities and communicate with parents and students; engage
and involve parents in their child’s out-of-school time activities; facilitate afterschool staff access to
comprehensive staff development; develop strong partnerships between the schools and out-of-school
time programs; create community programs for middle school students and high school students with
programming specific to their needs and marketed to them.
The United Way in Tampa Bay uses these strategic areas of focus to determine how best to align
investment and resource allocation decisions, tracks existing programs using them as metrics, and
shares progress using them as a framework for communication.
“Our next big step is not just involving organizations and agencies, but parents – so we can help them
understand in a better way how important out-of-school time is,” says Davis. “It still flies under a lot
of people’s radar. We are not just keeping people’s kids alive until they pick them up; there are a lot of
benefits.”
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Key partners:
• Bobbi Davis – Ph.D., Resource Development Manager, Children’s Board of Hillsborough
County
• Paula Kay – Community Engagement, United Way of Tampa Bay
• Debbie Zenk – Director HOST, Hillsborough County Public Schools
• Rebecca Heimstead – Mayor’s Youth Corps Director, City of Tampa
• Chris Letsos – COO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay
• Ricky Gallon – Outreach Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay
• Alayne Unterberger – Executive Director, Florida Institute for Community Studies
• Mary Dillon – Executive Director, Rural Social Services Partnership
• Brian McEwen – COO, Child Abuse Council
• Roslyn Wilson – Consultant, Computer Mentors
• Eddie Santiago – Collaboration Manager, Hillsborough
• Shelley Robertson – Ed.D., consultant, Robertson Consulting Group, Inc.
United Way of Tulare County (California)
Goal: To create on out-of-school time action plan to assist communities, including program providers,
students, parents, schools, and other stakeholders, to improve outcomes for youth through a “Convene,
Connect, Measure, Sustain” model
Tulare County in Central California faces greater challenges than many communities. Its population is
becoming younger, poorer, more diverse, and less educated. Its population has increased by 17 percent
since 2000, with one third of residents under age 18. One third of children under 18 live in poverty,
ranking 57th among the 58 California counties. More than one third of youth live in a single-parent
home. Tulare County unemployment is 17.7 percent, almost double the national rate. Only 61.7 percent
of Tulare County residents have a high school diploma or higher, compared to 80.4 percent nationally.
Against this backdrop, United Way of Tulare County (UWTC) had already been working with a number of
community partners on creating a college-going culture when it comes to education. For UWTC, working
on the out-of-school time Community Pilot Initiative allowed staff members to hone their work and make
the decision to focus in on middle school youth and the transition to high school.
“We were looking at out-of-school time already,” says Argelia Flores, former Director of Community
Initiatives at UWTC. “But some of the conversation was going from cradle to career. But at the end, this
allowed us to say ‘Organization A is addressing this phase, and Organization B that phase.’ It enabled
us to say, ‘What specifically is still missing that we could focus on’”
Key activities:
• Identified and collected data on existing out-of-school time programs in Tulare County
• Collaborated among local systems to improve planning
• Identified and measured best practices and potential evaluation tools to improve and
maintain program quality
• Identified formal elements of the action agenda to ensure ongoing access to quality outof-school
time services
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Playing a convening role and getting a cross section of youth development providers at the same table
was a real benefit, not just in terms of coordination but also in generating community momentum. “The
commitment to ongoing dialogue as well as commitment to be a part of solutions was important,” says
Flores. “Recognizing that there is more to be done, folks are ready to be at the table saying, how do we
contribute to this”
Accomplishments included expanded knowledge about gaps in existing out-of-school time programs,
developing and testing an online afterschool program survey, and increased commitment to inclusion of
parents in youth in the program improvement cycle. A key piece of learning for UWTC was the importance
of having participation from the school district, starting at the top. “Find a ‘champion’ for your program
in the education leadership structure,” UWTC reported. “Since we are working in a countywide program,
the support of the County Superintendent of Schools has been of great value in our efforts.”
Key Partners:
• Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE)
• Woodlake Unified School District Superintendent
• Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District
• Region 7, Education Service Center; Migrant Education Program
• Community Services and Employment Training (CSET)
• Region VII After School Programs
• Boys & Girls Club
• Owens Valley Career Development Center
• Tulare County Workforce Investment Board/Youth Council
• College of the Sequoias
• Porterville College
• California State University, Fresno
• University of California, Merced
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Sequoia YMCA
• Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE)
• Southern California Edison
• Pro-Youth HEART
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FOOTNOTES
i Chapman, Chris, Laird, Jennifer, Ifill, Nicole, and KewalRamani, Angelina (October 2011). Trends in High School Dropout and
Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2009. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education
Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012006.pdf
ii America’s Promise Alliance, (2012). Building a Grad Nation. www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/~/media/
Files/Our%20Work/Grad%20Nation/Building%20a%20Grad%20Nation/BuildingAGradNation2012.ashx
iii National UWW goals in income and health respectively are to: reduce the number of low-income working families who are
financially unstable and increase youth and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behaviors.
iv Afterschool Alliance. (2009). America After 3PM. The Most In-Depth Study of How Children Spend Their Afternoons.
Washington, DC: Author. www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3_Full_Report.pdf
v Weisman, S.A. and Gottfredson, D.C. (2001). Attrition from After School Programs: Characteristics of Students Who Drop Out.
Prevention Science, Vol. 2 [3]: 201-205.
vi Afterschool Alliance. (2009). America After 3PM. The Most In-Depth Study of How Children Spend Their Afternoons.
Washington, DC: Author. www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3_Full_Report.pdf
vii Cooper, H. et al. (1996). The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review.
Review of Educational Research, Vol. 66 [3]: 227-268.
viii Duffett, Ann and Johnson, Jean (2004). All Work and No Play Listening to What KIDS and PARENTS Really Want from Out-of-
School Time. New York, NY: Public Agenda.
ix American Sociological Review (April 2007). Vol. 72.
x Miller, Beth M. (2007). The Potential of Summer: Closing the Achievement Gap. The Massachusetts Commission on After
School and Out-of-School Time. http://www.northaustintutoring.com/documents/ClosingAchievementGap.pdf.
xi Birmingham, J., Pechman, E.M., Russell, C.A., and Mielke, M. (2005). Shared Features of High-Performing After-School
Programs: A Follow-up to the TASC Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: Policy Studies Associates, Inc.
xii Vandell, D.L., Pierce, K.M., and Dadisman, K. (2005). Out-of-school settings as a developmental context for children and
youth. In R.V. Kail (Ed.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior. Vol. 33: 43-77. New York: Academic.
xiii Afterschool Alliance (2008). Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of the Academic Impact of
Afterschool Programs. Washington, D.C.: Author.
xiv Lauer, P.A., Akiba, M., Wilkerson, S.B., Apthorp, H.S., Snow, D., and Martin-Glenn, M. (2006). Out-of-School Time Programs:
A Meta-Analysis of Effects for At-Risk Students. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 76 [2]: 275-313.
xv Alliance for Excellent Education (2009). Fact Sheet. Washington, D.C.
xvi Jones, Wendy (2008). Motivating Middle School Students to Attend Afterschool Programs. SEDL Letter, Vol XX [1]. Austin, TX:
SEDL.
xvii Schargel Consulting Group (2007). 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention. National Dropout Prevention Center at
Clemson University. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from www.schargel.com/2007/12/17/15-effective-strategies-for-dropoutprevention/
xviii Harvard Family Research Project. (2011). Out-of-School Time Programs for Older Youth. Cambridge, MA: Author. www.
hfrp.org/publications-resources/publications-series/research-updates-highlights-from-the-out-of-school-time-database/
research-update-7-out-of-school-time-programs-for-older-youth
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