Message From Co-Chairs

Children and youth across the Commonwealth need our help and support to become caring and productive members of our society. As Co-Chairs of this Special Commission, we welcome your input as we work together with our 36 members to craft recommendations on how best to support the healthy development of children and youth when they are in and out of school. In addition to the Commission meetings about this critical issue, we intend to hold at least nine public hearings across the Commonwealth. We are aware that not everyone will be able to attend and and invite you to use this blog to communicate with us about your issues and concerns. We look forward to your comments.

Posting Rules and Etiquette

We welcome and value your feedback and ask that you do the following in order to post your comments to this blog. 1. To provide your first and last name and the town or city in which you live to help us track the feedback statewide. 2. To label your comments so we can direct your feedback to the right Commission Work Group. The Commission's three Work Groups are: 1) Information and Access; 2) Quality, Workforce and Professional Development and 3) Sustainability. If your comments cut across all three Work Groups, please label that as "Crosscutting Issue". 3. To add constructive and professional comments - rude or profane comments will be deleted. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Second Public Hearing a Success

The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time held its second public hearing at the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center in Pittsfield on Tuesday, May 1.

Led by Senator Thomas McGee and Representative Marie St. Fleur, 9 other Commission members heard testimony from 34 people during a three hour period. There was powerful testimony from a broad range of people including youth, community-based providers, educators, a public safety officer, and community librarian - all of whom talked about the vital role afterschool programming has upon the young people in their communities. In all, 52 people attended the hearing.

Prior to the hearing, several Commission members were able to visit the Conte Community School, also located in Pittsfield, where 125 elementary school aged children participate in a variety of afterschool programs supported by the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant as well as the state's After School and Out of School Time grant.

The public hearing was covered by WAMC and the site visit was taped by CBS6 - Albany, NY. Additionally the hearing was taped and so we have it as part of the Special Commission's public record.

In addition to the Co-Chairs, the following Commission members and their representatives attended the hearing:

Dr. Deborah Dancy - Massachusetts Association of Elementary School Principals
Erin Craft - Department of Early Education and Care
Donna Traynham - Department of Education
Cathy O'Connor - Department of Public Health
Debbie Kneeland - MADCA
Berna Mann - PACE
Gwynn Hughes - Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership
Rick Metters - Massachusetts Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs
Susan O'Connor - WestMOST Network

The next public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, 2007 in Worcester at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

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