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Spotlight on Maine

Spotlight on Maine is the fifth installment of the Afterschool Alliance's New England After 3 PM series, and the first to focus exclusively on afterschool and summer programs in Maine. Spotlight on Maine finds school leaders voicing strong support for afterschool and summer programs. Almost all principals surveyed say that it’s important for all children and youth to have access to quality, affordable summer programs, and a majority agrees that high-quality summer learning opportunities should primarily focus on a balance of enrichment, recreational activities and academics. The data come from an internet survey of Maine school principals. Of the 525 principals surveyed, 194 responded. Key findings:

More than half of respondents say they do not have enough funding to meet the demand for programs at their school, and one in three has no funding for summer programs.
Forty-three percent of principals say their school does not have a summer program that includes a coordinated offering of academic, enrichment and recreational activities.
Ninety-three percent of respondents say there are students at their schools who could benefit from participating in a summer program who currently do not participate.
Seventy-six percent say that the primary focus of a high-quality summer program should be a combination of academics, enrichment and recreational activities.
Seventy-two percent of survey respondents say that the federal government is not doing all it should to meet the need for afterschool programs and three in four think the Maine state government is not doing all it should to meet the need for afterschool programs in their communities.
Only 16 percent of respondents say their school receives 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding (the only federal funding stream dedicated to afterschool programs).

Click here for the Spotlight on Maine report.
Click here for the Spotlight on Maine survey topline findings.
Click here to view the New England After 3 PM series.