Guest Blog: A first-hand account from the Afterschool for All Challenge

Jeff Cole is the associate vice president of school-community partnerships for the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and Network Lead for the Nebraska Community Learning Center Network.

As a first time participant in the Afterschool for All Challenge, I really didn’t know what to expect as we were filing into the Russell Senate Office Building.  Having nominated Kristin Williams, Director of Community Initiatives at Omaha’s Sherwood Foundation, as Nebraska’s Afterschool Champion (a MUCH deserved recognition for all her work promoting afterschool programs in high poverty schools in Omaha and across the state), I knew state level advocates would be recognized for their work.  I didn’t realize that a bipartisan group of senators and representatives would be joined by other national advocates and young people from nearby programs at the “Breakfast of Champions” to make such a strong case for why afterschool programs are so important for our nation’s future before heading to meetings on Capitol Hill. 

I was especially hearted by Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) comments in support of S. 326, which strengthens the crucial federal 21^st CCLC grant program, highlighting how important afterschool programs are for residents of her largely rural state.  I was honored to have the opportunity to chat with and share my enthusiasm for rural afterschool programs with Sen. Murkowski as she was leaving the ornate and historic Kennedy Caucus Room.

I carried this enthusiasm for the importance of rural afterschool programs over into the meetings that I had with 4 of Nebraska’s 5 Congressional delegations after the “Breakfast of Champions.”  Retiring Sen. Mike Johanns met with our group and reflected on his understanding of the importance of afterschool programs that he gained while serving as Nebraska’s governor.

We had similar meaningful discussions about the importance of afterschool and summer programs with Congressional staff in all of our visits.  During these talks we emphasized the importance of the 21^st CCLC grant program for facilitating the strong school-community partnerships that are at the heart of Nebraska’s afterschool programs, stressing how this proven, effective federal investment is multiplied many times over through meaningful collaborations in communities across our state.  

We left Washington feeling good about our discussions, but uncertain what impact these conversations might have.  This uncertainty dissipated the next week when we received a follow up call from the staff of newly-elected Sen. Deb Fischer’s Omaha office.  Following our meeting in D.C., Sen. Fischer’s chief of staff contacted their local office to schedule a site visit in order to get a first-hand perspective on this important work in Nebraska. 

We contacted the Collective for Youth, an intermediary facilitating out-of-school-time (OST) programs in the Omaha Metro Area, to arrange a tour of Marrs Middle School’s afterschool program, a 21^st CCLC collaboration administered by the local nonprofit Completely Kids that has a well-regarded STEM program.  Unsurprisingly the site visit was a big success, with the senator’s staff gaining a first-hand experience of the important role that afterschool programs play in the lives of youth in high poverty schools and the vital role of 21^st CCLC grants in facilitating this school-community partnership that is leveraging local investments and supporting thousands of working families in our state. 

With these positive experiences now under my belt, first in Washington and then back home in Nebraska, the Afterschool for All Challenge will definitely be an activity central to my work advocating for more high quality afterschool programs.