Afterschool Alliance: Election Kit

The foundation for healthy and positive development is the possession of strong social and emotional skills and competencies that help youth do well academically, maintain positive relationships, be physically and mentally healthy, and become civically engaged.

For more resources to make the case for Whole Child development, visit our toolkit where you'll find graphics, talking points, fact sheets, and more.

Why Whole Child development matters

We know that academic learning is inextricably connected to social and emotional development. It’s critical that both in-school and out-of-school educators ensure that youth are developing the social and emotional skills that they need to succeed in school and in life. Evidence shows that youth in high-quality afterschool programs targeting Whole Child outcomes see a wide range of positive effects in the short term, including:

Improved self-confidence and grades.
Increased positive attitudes toward school, positive social behavior, standardized test scores, and attendance rates.
Reduced aggression and drug use rates.

And even more positive effects in the long term:

Increased rates of high school graduation, college enrollment, college completion, and employment.
Higher average wages.
Decreased rates of teen pregnancy and criminal behavior.

High quality, Whole Child-focused afterschool programs can have an even larger impact on standardized test scores than programs that have a heavy academic focus. Afterschool and summer programs are key partners in young people’s learning. They help to develop the critical social and emotional skills that help create happier, more engaged, and more productive citizens.

Whole Child and the Workforce

According to a 2016 member survey by the Business Roundtable, a wide array of Whole Child-related skills were both relevant to the vast majority of job openings but also difficult to find in qualified candidates:

COMMUNICATION SKILLS were relevant to 100% of openings, but 71% of businesses had difficulty finding qualified candidates who had strong communication skills;
TEAMWORK was relevant to 96% of openings, but 55% of businesses had difficulty finding candidates with strong teamwork skills;
LEADERSHIP was relevant to 100% of openings, but 79% of businesses had difficulty finding qualified applicants with strong leadership skills;
CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING were relevant to 99% of openings, but 83% of businesses had difficulty finding applicants with strong critical thinking and problem solving skills; and
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY was relevant to 96% of openings, but 74% of businesses had difficulty finding qualified applicants who had strong cognitive flexibility.

Our future economy is dependent upon our ability to provide today’s youth with the opportunity to develop strong social and emotional skills. All youth deserve opportunities to develop social and emotional skills not only in school, but also in afterschool and summer learning programs.

Whole Child talking points for candidates

The benefits of Whole Child last for years

Studies show that young people who participate in Whole Child-focused programs continue to benefit for months and even years afterwards! Young people who participate in these programs have fewer conduct problems, less emotional distress, and lower rates of drug use than their peers.

Whole Child improves academic performance

Studies have found that young people who participate in evidence-based Whole Child programs show an 11 percentile-point gain in academic achievement.

Afterschool builds social and emotional skills

According to a survey by the Riley Institute, “the top 5 skills developed by afterschool are teamwork, communication, problem-solving, self-confidence, and critical thinking.”

For every $1 invested in Whole Child programs, there are $11 in benefits

A 2015 study found that for every $1 invested in high-quality Whole Child programs, there was a return of $11 in benefits.

Whole Child-focused programs have a wide range of positive effects

High-quality, evidence-based afterschool programs targeting Whole Child outcomes have a wide array of positive effects:

Improve young people’s self-confidence and grades
Increase positive attitudes toward school, positive social behavior, standardized test scores, and attendance rates
Reduce aggression and drug use

Seeking more talking points about Whole Child in afterschool? Check out "Social and emotional learning: Making the case."

Whole Child examples from the field

Wings for Kids

The mission of WINGS for Kids (WINGS) is to provide a safe, supportive environment for at-risk and underserved students, helping them develop the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed in and out of school from a young age. To do this, WINGS creates a culture of social and emotional learning for K-5th graders, employing a comprehensive social and emotional learning curriculum, integrating social and emotional learning into all activities, reinforcing lessons through teachable moments throughout the day, and having both staff and students model social and emotional skills while engaging with one another to help students internalize lessons.

The Opportunity Project

The Possibility Project (TPP) empowers high school youth to tackle issues affecting their lives and take on leadership roles to enact change in their communities through the performing arts and community action. Students create, produce, and perform original theatrical musicals based on their lived experiences while gaining confidence as they learn how to work collaboratively, appreciate diversity, resolve conflicts, set goals, and prioritize responsibilities. The program culminates with community action projects, where students work in teams to select, plan, and manage a project on a social justice issue they want to address in their community

Back to the toolkit The Small Nonprofit's Guide to Advocating for Afterschool

Engage with candidates and the field

Interact with candidates Mobilize afterschool supporters Maintain momentum after the election

Communicating your campaign

Contact the media Reach out online

Making the case for afterschool

Address common misconceptions Advocate for afterschool STEM Advance Whole Child development