The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) is excited to release our new report entitled Investing in Georgia’s Youth: Why Afterschool Makes “Cents.” The report looks at key student outcome data and the return on investment of Georgia’s two major funding streams for out-of-school time programs: the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program and the Afterschool Care Program housed at the Georgia Division of Familly and Children Services (DFCS).
We hope that this report will be a new resource for you to raise awareness of the impact high quality afterschool and youth development programs have on Georgia’s youth. In addition to the new report, we hope that you will check out our full suite of materials below, including a video, memes, sample presentations, one pagers, and more! These materials are meant to be used, so please feel free to download and make them your own. In particular, we strongly encourage you to add your own program’s information and impact data.
Afterschool programs improve academic performance and outcomes by increasing school day attendance, reducing grade retention, and improving classroom behavior. #ThisIsAfterschool
63% of crimes committed by juveniles occur on school days, with crime peaking during the hours of 3 to 7 PM. #AfterschoolWorks to reduce juvenile crime.
#Afterschool programs reduce drug and alcohol dependence by providing youth with a safe place to go when the school day ends and helping youth develop relationships with caring adults. #ThisIsAfterschool
Demand for #afterschool is growing in GA. 40% would participate in a program if one was available in 2014 vs 32% in 2009. #ThisIsAfterschool
A 2017 poll shows that 94% of Georgians view #afterschool as extremely/very important, more than the national average! #GaLightsOn
80% of a young person’s waking hours are spent outside of formal classroom learning #AfterschoolWorks
More time spent in afterschool is associated with better work habits, improved academic performance, gains in self-efficacy, improved GPA, and fewer school absences. #ThisIsAfterschool
The research is clear that #AfterschoolWorks! Check out @afterschoolga’s new report on how afterschool and summer learning programs set Georgia’s youth up for success: https://bit.ly/2BfUuoU.
High quality afterschool and summer learning programs support the whole child and the greater community. What would an additional investment in these programs look like? Check out this new video from @afterschoolga: https://bit.ly/2MnyxZv
If Georgia was to invest $25 million in high quality #afterschool, the immediate and long term savings for taxpayers would be $154 million and an additional 45,409 youth would have access to these critical programs. #AfterschoolWorks
Did you know? @georgiadeptofed & @GADFCS fund 521 afterschool programs that serve 99,000+ kids, but demand is still high. #ThisIsAfterschool
Did you know? 42% of Georgia’s counties, with an average population of 17,103, do not have an out-of-school time program funded by #21stCCLC or @GADFCS Afterschool Care Program.#ThisIsAfterschool
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program provides nearly two million children – and 27,000 in Georgia – with high quality afterschool, before school, and summer learning programs that help put them on a path to success in college, career, and life. #GaLightsOn
Housed at @GADFCS, the Afterschool Care Program serves over 72,000 of Georgia’s youth, primarily from low to moderate income families, the foster care system, and/or congregate care. #ThisIsAfterschool
[Name of your afterschool program] is one of the 243 programs in Georgia that would have to close our doors if #21stCCLC was eliminated leaving many of our children alone and unsupervised between the hours of 3-6:00 PM.
Thousands of working families in Georgia, including ours, rely on #21stCCLC to keep their kids safe & engaged. Please don’t eliminate this vital program!
Programs funded through the @GADFCS Afterschool Care Program leverage local support for #afterschool through the mandatory match requirement. #AfterschoolWorks
Afterschool programs funded by #21stCCLC in Georgia improve school day attendance over not only the average for low-income students, but the state average as well. #ChronicAbsence is a key indicator of future academic success. Afterschool is part of the solution. #ThisIsAfterschool #SchoolEveryDay
As engagement increases in Georgia’s #21stCCLC, there is a strong decrease in grade retention. This is particularly impressive given that #21stCCLC seeks to enroll students who previously did not meet state standards. #ThisIsAfterschool
314,000 of Georgia’s youth are alone and unsupervised between the hours of 3 and 6 PM. Now is the time to increase state investment in afterschool and summer learning programs. #GaLightsOn
Did you know? Georgia released its first quality standards for afterschool in December 2015. Let’s increase the utilization of these standards to better support Georgia’s youth. #ThisIsAfterschool
First time use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs peaks among teenagers during the summer months. Let’s #KeepKidsLearning and reduce drug and alcohol dependence.
Did You Know? Most students lose 2 months of math skills during the summer. Low income students lose another 2-3 months in reading. This is known as the “Summer Slide.” #KeepKidsLearning
A key goal of Georgia’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is to ensure all students have access to a quality education—inside and outside the classroom. Learn more at https://bit.ly/2kxH5ep.
Partnerships between schools and community-based #afterschool programs are key to aligning learning experiences for Georgia’s youth and improving academic outcomes. #ThisIsAfterschool
Despite recent funding increases, demand for #childcare subsidies (#CAPS) remains high in Georgia. I support an increase in state investment for this critical program which provides low-income youth with childcare, of which 43% are school age children over the age of 5.
About the Investing in Georgia’s Youth: Why Afterschool Makes “Cents” Report
This report was made possible with funding from the National Conference for State Legislators and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. GSAN worked with the University of Georgia to analyze the return on investment of afterschool and summer learning programs in Georgia and other key student outcomes. Dr. Justin Ingels, research director for the economic evaluation research group and an assistant research scientist of health policy and management at the University of Georgia, served as the lead researcher for the analysis. To view the full methodology compiled by Dr. Justin Ingels, click here. To view additional references used in Investing in Georgia’s Youth: Why Afterschool Makes “Cents,” click here.
