Spotlight on Rhode Island

Spotlight on Rhode Island is the third installment of the Afterschool Alliance’s New England After 3 PM series, and the first to focus exclusively on afterschool in Rhode Island. Spotlight on Rhode Island finds that municipal leaders from across the state want more afterschool programs in their cities and towns, and think the federal and state governments should provide more support for these programs.

The data come from an internet survey of Rhode Island mayors and city leaders. Twenty-three municipal leaders responded to the survey, representing more than half of the 39 cities and towns in the state.

Key Findings:

• Nine in ten Rhode Island municipal leaders (91 percent) agree that afterschool programs are an absolute necessity in their communities.
• Leaders cite "keeping kids safe and out of trouble" as the top reason they support afterschool, with nine in ten (91 percent) describing it as a "very important" or "important" reason.
• More than three in four Rhode Island municipal leaders (78 percent) say that the federal and state governments are not doing all they should to meet the need for afterschool.
• About six in ten leaders (61 percent) say that their local government budgets include spending for afterschool.
• Nearly seven in eight respondents (86 percent) strongly or somewhat support including afterschool as a component of education funding in the establishment of a Permanent Education Foundation Aid Formula. Currently, a joint legislative committee is exploring ways to revamp Rhode Island’s education funding formula. Afterschool programs could be included in the funding equation.

Click here for the Spotlight on Rhode Island report.
Click here for the survey topline findings.
Click here for a press release about Spotlight on Rhode Island.
Click here to view the New England After 3PM series.