Authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education to hold hearings regarding expanding the number of high-quality afterschool offerings in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Department of Education, children and youth who regularly attend high-quality afterschool programs have better grades and conduct in school, more academic and enrichment opportunities, improved peer relations and emotional adjustment, and fewer incidences of drug use, violence and pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, According to the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network, high quality afterschool programs can reduce risk behaviors and reduce crime rates; and

WHEREAS, According to the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network, afterschool programs improve employee productivity and reduce absenteeism by supporting many working parents, and further, that low or no-cost afterschool programming is of vital importance to low-income families; and

WHEREAS, The decrease in resources available to the School District of Philadelphia for afterschool programming has made programs funded and provided by the City the primary opportunities available to many Philadelphia youth between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. as well as during the summer; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, the Wallace Foundation through its Next Generation Out of School Time Initiative, selected Philadelphia as one of nine cities to receive a three year grant to strengthen the coordination and effectiveness of its wide range of out of school time programs; and

WHEREAS, The Wallace Foundation has extended its investment for two more years through April 2017 so that Philadelphia can continue the important work of systems building and coordination it has begun around out of school and after school programming; and

WHEREAS, PhillyBOOST, a collaboration among the City's Departments of Human Services, Parks and Recreation and the Free Library of Philadelphia, as a result of the Wallace Foundation's investment, and the considerable efforts of leadership and staff in those same Departments and the School District of Philadelphia, is working to coordinate reliable data collection and establish pathways to out of school program improvement; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia has a host of other organizations and programs that work with children and youth ages K - 12 afterschool and in the summer, which provide academic enrichment, literacy activities, and cultural and recreational experiences. Additionally, organizations such as the Police Athletic League, the After School Activities Partnership, and the Out-of-School Time Resource Center are devoted to providing and strengthening afterschool experiences for our children and youth; and

WHEREAS, This city-wide effort, called PhillyBOOST, is poised to further coordinate the array of out of school time programs towards increased effectiveness and efficiency in order to both increase and improve afterschool experiences for our children and youth while also contributing positively to their safety, their well being and their engagement in learning; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia wants to harness all of the current resources directed to afterschool programming both human and material, in order to ensure that all our children and youth have the experiences necessary for positive growth and development; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education to hold hearings regarding expanding the number of high quality afterschool offerings in the City of Philadelphia.

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