SUPPORTING HIGH QUALITY AFTER-SCHOOL AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS

WHEREAS, affordable, accessible, and high-quality after-school programming is essential for all families; and

WHEREAS, a public consensus is emerging about the need to share the responsibility for providing safe, interesting, and enriching programs for children during out of school hours; and

WHEREAS, ensuring access to high-quality after-school programming for school-age children and their families increasingly is becoming a priority at the local, state, and national levels; and

WHEREAS, after-school programming promotes learning, enhances the physical, social, emotional, and moral development of children and youth, and provides support for working families; and

WHEREAS, children's risk of becoming victims of a violent crime triples in the hours after school, and children and youth who are unsupervised are at greater risk of truancy, pregnancy, receiving poor grades, experiencing mental depression, and abusing tobacco, drugs, and alcohol; and

WHEREAS, children who attend high quality after-school programs experience greater academic success, develop stronger peer relations, have better emotional adjustment and conflict resolution skills, and better conduct in school compared to their peers who are not in after-school programs,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the US Conference of Mayors strongly encourages the federal government to increase its investment in community-based after-school programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the US Conference of Mayors requests funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which supports community efforts to expand out-of-school time programming, remains a separate program within the Department of Education and funding for the program should be increased to $1.5 billion as proposed by members of the United States Senate.