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.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Massachusetts Special Commission Holds Eight Public Hearing in Lawrence

The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time
Announces Public Hearing
Special Commission to Convene Eighth Public Hearing in Lawrence, September 18,
5 PM - 8 PM

Boston, Massachusetts - September 17, 2007 — The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time announces its eighth public hearing to be held at the Northern Essex Community College, on Tuesday, September 18 from 5 PM - 8 PM in the Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center, White Fund Room, First Floor (LA 101) 78 Amesbury Street in Lawrence. Before the public hearing, from 3 PM—4 PM, the Special Commission members will be visiting the United Teen Equality Center in Lowell. The United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) was created in 1999 as a response to gang violence. Located at 34 Hurd Street, UTEC serves 150 teens and older youth (13—23) daily in their education, street work, organizing and youth development programs—all at no cost.

This Special Commission was created by the Massachusetts Legislature to "study and recommend how to' define and 'better coordinate, expand, finance and improve accessible, affordable, and quality out of school time programming for school age children in all settings in Massachusetts."

Led by Senator Thomas McGee (D-Lynn), the Chair of the Senate's Labor and Workforce
Development Committee and Representative Marie St. Fleur (D-Boston), the Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the 36 member Commission has committed to holding ten public hearings throughout the state to gather input about the Commonwealth's afterschool system. Youth, parents, community and faith-based providers, law enforcement officials, educators, funders, business and other community leaders are expected to attend and provide testimony.

"We have a historic opportunity to gain a better understanding of the importance of afterschool programs in the lives of children, youth and families," said Senator Thomas McGee. "Since a quality workforce is a linchpin of the afterschool system, we need to identify solutions to strengthen it. We look forward to gathering information from the public hearings and site visits that will help us figure out this and other ways to better serve children and youth when they are not in school."

"Currently, Massachusetts provides afterschool programs to approximately 20% of the
Commonwealth's school age population," noted Representative Marie St. Fleur. "It is well documented that the time period between 2PM and 6PM is the most hazardous, if unsupervised, for children of that age. It is clear that we need to closely examine how public/private partnerships can leverage existing resources to serve more children and youth to coordinate and strengthen a system of afterschool and expanded learning that promotes their healthy development. The public hearings and site visits will help us to hear from all stakeholders on this important matter."

"Given the many challenge facing young people today, investment in youth programs that work with teenagers, specifically older youth, is at a critically important stage”, said Gregg Croteau, Executive Director of UTEC. “There is a very large need to institutionalize support for youth agencies so that we are not continually fighting on an annual basis for the allocation of funds. Ultimately, the professionalization of after-school and youth development programs needs to be seen as an essential service like so many other facets of our community's development. The Commission's efforts in professionalizing this field comes at a perfect time and we are very happy to be involved in their work."

1.1 Million School Aged Children and Youth in Massachusetts There are 1.1 million school aged children and youth ages 5-18 that live in Massachusetts. Of that group, 720,000 are children ages 5-13 and 380,000 are youth ages 14-19. Current state funding serves 205,500 children and youth leaving nearly 80% without access to quality and enriching afterschool and summer
opportunities.

The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time intends to study this issue more in-depth. In addition to holding the nine public hearings, it will also convene three working groups that will 1) analyze information and access issues; 2) identify quality, workforce and professional development concerns, and 3) determine how the afterschool system in the Commonwealth can be sustained. The Special Commission expects to issue a report in the fall of 2007 that will have recommendations in these areas which will strengthen the Commonwealth's
afterschool system.

About The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time has been created 'to study and recommend how to' define and 'better coordinate, expand, finance and improve accessible, affordable, and quality out-of-school time programming for school age children in all settings in Massachusetts."

The Massachusetts Special Commission on After School and Out of School Time
For More Information Contact:
Debra McLaughlin, Consultant to the Commission
dmclaughlin@kunnusta.com
617.792.3173

Visit Our Blog:
http://www.massafterschoolcomm.blogspot.com

Visit Our Website:
http://www.massafterschoolcomm.org
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