After$chool Funding: Funding Spotlight: Pennsylvania Invests in Afterschool

By Margaret Wakefield, Afterschool Alliance Policy Intern.

Pennsylvania’s afterschool and summer programs have primarily relied on funding from school district budgets; federal grants, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers; and philanthropy. Understanding the limitations of this funding structure, advocates identified dedicated state funding for afterschool as a need for the field and began mobilizing toward this goal, securing $11.5 million for afterschool through the Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) initiative. A new state funding spotlight, Pennsylvania Invests in Afterschool, shares the strategy behind the state’s success. 

The Opportunity

From 2016 to 2018, Pennsylvania’s Afterschool Caucus remained active by hosting events on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), issuing policy recommendations, and organizing site visits, coding demonstrations, and receptions to showcase afterschool’s impact on education and workforce readiness. In 2018, advocates began laying the groundwork for a state return-on-investment (ROI) study. Leaders like Laura Saccente of PSAYDN testified before policymakers to emphasize the role of afterschool programs in STEM learning and workforce development.

This effort led to the passage of House Resolution 180 in 2019, which formally commissioned the ROI study, released in 2021, showing that every $1 invested in afterschool yields a $6.69 return. In the 2021 regular session, Rep. Mike Schlossberg introduced HB 2429 to establish the Building Opportunity Through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Grant Program and create a dedicated state funding stream. Although the bill failed, it strengthened advocacy efforts, expanded the coalition, and led to site visits and advocacy days highlighting the impact of afterschool programs on Pennsylvania’s education system.

The Result

In summer 2024, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved $11.5 million for the BOOST initiative, the state’s first dedicated investment in afterschool programs, after Governor Josh Shapiro included it in his budget proposal. Lt. Governor Austin Davis helped propel the effort by framing BOOST as a public safety and youth gun violence prevention measure, reinforcing its relevance across bipartisan priorities. Behind the scenes, advocates used data, storytelling, and coordinated outreach to position BOOST as both an academic recovery strategy and a community safety solution.