Over 75% of a child’s waking hours are spent outside of school. Afterschool, summer, and other expanded learning opportunities give young people a chance to make the most of those hours. The hands-on and engaging learning that takes place outside school hours can spark new interests, lead to positive youth outcomes, and plays a crucial role for Georgia’s families and students.
GSAN seeks to increase access to afterschool and summer learning programs for all Goergia’s children and youth and to ensure that those programs are offering high-quality services. We make recommendations related to federal and state afterschool policies, track federal and state legislation affecting afterschool and youth, and keep our network informed of important issues in the afterschool field. To view GSAN’s 2019 policy priorities, please click here.
If you have questions about advocating versus lobbying, click here for some tips to remember. It is not lobbying if you are reaching out to a Congressman and telling them all the great things your program does and how much it supports the community. However, it is considered lobbying if you are:
- Directly reaching out to a Congressman;
- With a point of view (i.e. 21st CCLC is good!); AND
- Referencing a piece of legislation (a budget bill)
Resources
Engaging Elected Officials at Summer Meals Sites
This webinar from No Kid Hungry gives tips for engaging elected officials, featuring best practices on developing a strategy, tools for implementation and examples from the field.
Summer Site Visit Toolkit
This toolkit from No Kid Hungry provides planning timelines, template communication and publicity materials, and tips for executing a successful event highlighting the importance of summer meals to local influencers.g.
Expanding Afterschool Opportunities: Action Kit for Municipal Leaders
This toolkit from the National League of Cities gives mayors and city councilmembers strategies and helps them identify actions that make sense for their community.
Strengthening Partnerships and Building Public Will for Out-of-School Time Programs: Strategy Guide
This guide from the National League of Cities gives municipal leaders tips on engaging and involving a broad set of partners, keep OST on the public agenda, and lead efforts to establish a common set of outcomes in their community.