How to make universal afterschool a reality in your state

By Holly Morehouse, Executive Director, Vermont Afterschool.

Across the country, afterschool programs have been chronically underfunded for decades, and the unmet demand among families has reached an all-time high. In Vermont, more than 26,000 youth are waiting for an available program. This growing need, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has had policymakers in Vermont concerned for the well-being of our children, youth and families.

In 2020, Governor Scott announced his goal to offer universal afterschool across the state — meaning afterschool and summer programs would be accessible and affordable for all families and youth who want to enroll, particularly those who have low incomes and live in rural locations. And once this vision is realized, Vermont will be the first state in the country to offer such a model to children, youth and families.

The Governor’s vision is unprecedented, bold and attainable. Now, afterschool advocates across the U.S. have their eyes on Vermont to see how we will work to make sure that, by 2025, Vermont will be well on its way to ensuring high-quality afterschool and summer programs for every child in our state.

That’s why I’m sharing Vermont Afterschool’s roadmap to success with the hope that it may help guide other advocates and policymakers in providing universal afterschool and summer programs in other parts of the nation as well.

1. Commitment. Statewide support is critical. Vermont Afterschool has been building relationships with state agencies and policymakers on both sides of the aisle for years. We have consistently advocated for increasing access to afterschool and summer programs with a strong focus on equity and inclusion. Legislative committees have played a key role in moving the issue forward as has the VT Agency of Education and the VT Agency of Human Services. Visibility and commitment are important, and Governor Phil Scott (R) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I) publically championed afterschool via several major announcements and press conferences over the span of a couple of years, including most recently a statewide summit and media event featuring youth as speakers.
2. Collaboration. In 2020, the Vermont legislature passed a bill forming a bi-partisan, universal afterschool task force to discuss the feasibility of such a model and to start to lay the groundwork. Building on recommendations in the task force’s report, in 2021, Governor Scott established a cross-agency team to develop, support and sustain the universal afterschool and summer system. The cross-agency team includes representatives from the Governor’s office, Agency of Education, Department for Children and Families/Child Development Division, Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Agency of Natural Resources, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Labor, Senator Sanders’ office, and Vermont Afterschool in our role as the statewide afterschool network. As it comes to fruition, this model will require strong, public-private partnerships among the state, schools, businesses, nonprofits and program providers with all parties embracing our collective responsibility.
3. Coordination. There is clear support for the collaboration. Vermont Afterschool stated our desire to help coordinate the effort, solicited input from the cross-agency team and developed a clear work plan and timeline to launch the model. This resulted in buy-in from all parties and recognition of our state network as an essential collaborating partner. Vermont Afterschool is also working to spearhead a statewide listening tour that will launch in 2022 to bring input from diverse stakeholders, collaborators and voices across Vermont to help inform the building of this coordinated system.
4. Improving Program Quality and Data. Quality is top-of-mind for the cross-agency team. Vermont Afterschool is helping to gather input from program providers, families, schools and partners to build on and promote common quality standards for all programs. Our approach will also track impact and outcome data for the entire system. This will include continuing to offer meaningful professional development and youth engagement opportunities, and Vermont Afterschool is committed to regularly communicating the impact of Vermont’s afterschool programs with data.
5. Reaching Youth and Families. Vermont Afterschool has long held at our center a strong commitment to equity and a deep understanding of the importance of incorporating youth voice in authentic ways. To support the state’s efforts, we have convened a Statewide Youth Advisory Group to help develop a deeper understanding of the potential barriers and challenges to accessing afterschool and summer programs, particularly for youth in rural areas, those who identify as BIPOC or LGBTQ+ and youth with disabilities and/or special needs.
6. Sustainable Funding. A commitment and plan to establish a funding stream is perhaps most critical to bringing the idea from vision to reality. The state is working on developing a funding structure that includes revenue sources and grant programs so that every year, starting now and building towards 2025, Vermont will have more access, availability and equity in its universal afterschool and summer system.