- Join the Afterschool Movement
- Policy
- Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Policy
- Resources
- 2021 Public Policy Agenda
Join Us in the Afterschool Movement
Hardworking families across Tennessee rely on afterschool and summer learning programs to help kids succeed and help parents keep their jobs. In fact, more than three-quarters of Tennessee parents say afterschool programs help kids gain workforce skills and help working parents keep their jobs. But recently, a Congressional committee voted to cut $191 million from the federal program that helps fund afterschool. If that legislation is passed, almost 90,000 children in Tennessee could lose access to afterschool programs. Show your support for afterschool programs!
Join our email list to receive tips, professional development opportunities, best practices/tools, grant opportunities and more.
Tennessee Afterschool Network and Afterschool Alliance may contact you with updates about afterschool programs. Your contact information will not be shared with any third party.
Tennessee Afterschool Network Brochure
Download the single page marketing brochure from Tennessee Afterschool Network.
Volunteer Your Time
Volunteer to read, tutor or mentor AFTERSCHOOL! Dial 2-1-1 or visit Raise Your Hand TN for opportunities in your home town!
Policy
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers – Afterschool Alliance, 2013.
- Achieve.org – . Achieve works alongside states to raise graduation requirements and overall academic standards and was integral in the development of the Common Core State Standards. The following resources can be used to educate and inform your United Way, an OST coalition, families in your local community, and business leaders about the truth behind Common Core.
- Achieve.org – K-2 Grade Guide – . What Every K-2 Parent Needs to Know about the Common Core
- Achieve.org – 3-5 Grade Guide – . What Every Grade 3-5 Parent Needs to Know about the Common Core
- Achieve.org – 6-8 Grade Guide – . What Every Grade 6-8 Parent Needs to Know about the Common Core
- Achieve.org – 9-12 Grade Guide – . What Every Grade 9-12 Parent Needs to Know about the Common Core
- Achieve.org – English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Fact Sheet – . Understanding the K-12 Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
- Achieve.org – Mathematics Fact Sheet – . Understanding the K-12 Common Core State Standards in Mathematics
- Afterschool Alliance – . The Afterschool Alliance is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs and advocating for more afterschool investments to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs. This site has a wealth of resources about afterschool issues, research, advocacy and more.
- Afterschool and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Reauthorization – . The reauthorization of ESEA (and formerly No Child Left Behind) provides afterschool advocates an opportunity to influence the legislation that authorizes several significant funding streams for afterschool, before school, and summer learning programs. Get the details and find out how you can help on this page.
- Afterschool as an Election Issue – . Whether you have five minutes to give or five months – this section provides the tools you need to help raise the profile of afterschool during an election season.
- Afterschool in Rural Communities – Afterschool Allliance. Rural communities face many unique challenges when it comes to caring for their children. From transportation issues to lack of community resources to hunger, afterschool programs are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of young people in rural communities, offering a safe, enriching place, meals and caring adults.
- Afterschool Issue Overview – Afterschool Alliance, 2013. An overview of issues related to afterschool: funding, public opinion, and outcomes of high-quality programs.
- American Youth Policy Forum YouTube Channel – . Video clips of AYPF events, interviews and more.
- Business Center for a College- and Career-Ready America – Achieve. A toolkit that helps business leaders think more strategically about how best to support college and career readiness for all students.
- Forum For Thought Blog – . The Forum for Thought blog is operated by the American Youth Policy Forum, and highlights diverse points of view and information from the intersection of policy, practice and research.
- Investing to Improve the Well-Being of Vulnerable Youth and Young Adults: Recommendations for Policy and Practice – Youth Transitions Funders Group. This publication provides a framework for understanding the well-being of vulnerable youth and highlights the roles families, communities, and public systems can take to promote young people’s well-being. It offers recommendations for youth system leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to improve policy and practice to support a successful transition to adulthood for vulnerable youth.
- National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations – National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance. The National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations is a tool for finding and searching state and territory licensing regulations and agency contact information. Licensing requirements are frequently updated in response to new legislation, data analysis, provider feedback, and in response to new research and industry trends. This database supports licensing and Child Care and Development Fund administrators in exploring how other States and Territories have developed clear, measurable and achievable regulations to better inform child care providers and safeguard children’s health, development and well-being.
- Out-of-School Time Issue Brief – United Way Worldwide, 2012. This report from the global United Way organization details what afterschool is, why it’s important, and recommendations for supporting it within communities. It incorporates voices from various United Way directors across America and lessons learned from on-the-ground workers.
- Reaching Policy Makers – Afterschool Alliance. This page is a toolbox where you can find all you need to know to advocate for afterschool programs to policy makers.
- Resources for Parents and Families on CCSS – Achieve. A sample of the resources that state education agencies, school districts, and third-party and national advocacy organizations have developed to empower parents to help their students succeed.
- STEM and Afterschool – Afterschool Alliance. 80% of future jobs will require STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) literacy and skills. This page provides the latest in STEM afterschool policy, resources, allies and more.
- The Common Core Standards: What Do They Mean for Out-of-School Time? – Forum for Youth Investment, July 2012. Policy commentary, highlighting specific responses of some out-of-school programs to the Common Core standards.
- The Intersection of Afterschool and Competency-based Learning: Emerging Trends, Policy Considerations, and Questions for the Future – American Youth Policy Forum, January 2016. Afterschool and competency-based learning are increasingly emerging as student-centered, supportive learning models to prepare students for college and career. This white paper explores the intersection and relationship between these two fields, recommends ideal policy environments for implementing successful programs, provides real-world examples, and shines a spotlight on emerging trends for the future.
Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Policy
- Active Hours Afterschool – . Afterschool programs are well-positioned to be key partners in a comprehensive effort to fight childhood obesity and work towards lifelong health for our youth.
- Afterschool & Health: Opportunities for Advocacy – Afterschool Alliance. This site provides an overview of the Local Wellness Policy requirement and outlines steps that afterschool advocates can take to get involved in the policy process and become partners in their communities' efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among youth.
- Bipartisan Summer Meals Act Introduced in Senate to Help Close Hunger Gap – Afterschool Alliance. The legislation would significantly improve the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs so more children can access healthy meals in supportive summer learning and afterschool programs.
- Experts discuss afterschool's role in opioid abuse prevention – Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Snack, March 2, 2018. Opioid addiction plagues our country, deeply impacting adults and children alike. The Afterschool Alliance believes that afterschool has a huge part to play in mitigating this crisis through preventative measures. On Wednesday, February 27, 2018, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss youth opioid prevention.
- New Afterschool Report Released at Congressional Staff Briefing – Afterschool Alliance, 2015. New data, an update on the out-of-school time Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards, compelling afterschool program profiles and a nutritious lunch were all highlighted in a briefing for Congressional staff on March 10 on Capitol Hill.
Resources
- Afterschool Impacts Database – Afterschool Alliance. The Afterschool Alliance's Afterschool Impacts Database is an easily searchable platform that can help you navigate the growing body of evidence demonstrating the student-supporting and community-building impacts of afterschool and summer learning programs.
- Afterschool STEM HUB – . A site where advocates for high-quality afterschool programming in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) will find useful tools to make the case for expanding and supporting innovative and engaging informal STEM learning.
- Better Health, Better Learning: Research on Improving Student Health and Academic Success – SCORE, July 2017. The brief, Better Health, Better Learning: Research on Improving Student Health and Academic Success is designed to be a resource to inform a conversation about how to better meet the needs of students in Tennessee schools and ensure they are healthy and ready to learn. The brief is the result of a detailed review of state and national research and data on the intersection of student health and academic achievement.
- Federal Supports for Afterschool and Summer Child Care Tennessee – Early Childhood National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment, March 2018. There are two major sources of federal funding and supports for afterschool and summer child care: the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. This data profile focuses primarily on the Child Care and Development Fund.
- Hours of Opportunity – Rand Education, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, 2010. This 3-volume report helps understand the promise and challenges of citywide coordination of afterschool programs with other institutions like schools, parks, and other community organizations.
- KIDS COUNT: The State of the Child in Tennessee – Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, August 2016. This report focuses on the importance of preventing and responding appropriately to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), current ACEs data for Tennessee, and also ranks counties on child well-being. Report attachments include a map of the rankings, a Tennessee profile page and list of regional contacts.
- Many Young Americans are not Eligible to Join the Military (PDF) – Department of Defense, 2017. Three leading preventable causes of not being able to join ME the military include being overweight, lacking adequate education and having a history of crime or drug use.
- Policymaker Visits: Tips for Afterschool Providers – Utah Afterschool Network. A suite of resources complied by the Utah Afterschool Network that help support your organization as you invite policymakers to visit your program.
- Social Conversation and Legislative Analysis – Afterschool Alliance, September 2017. A summary of social media conversations and legislative mentions of afterschool programs.
- STEM Afterschool: It’s Time to Activate! – Afterschool STEM Hub. A messaging toolkit to make the case for STEM in afterschool. Developed by the Frameworks Institute in partnership with the Afterschool STEM Hub.
- The National Assessment Landscape: What Does High-quality Look Like? – Education First. A primer to help state policymakers better understand the role of tests, the characteristics of assessments, and the current assessment landscape.
- Toolkit for Expanding Learning – The Expanding Learning & Afterschool Project, 2013. A toolkit for those looking to strengthen the foundations of afterschool programs in their communities.