Pennsylvania approves $11.5 million for local afterschool and summer programs

On July 11, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law the Shapiro-Davis budget creating the Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Program as part of a comprehensive approach to making Pennsylvania communities safer. This represents the first dedicated funding for local afterschool and summer learning programs in Pennsylvania and marks the 25th state to invest in afterschool and summer programs at the state level.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis highlighted the state budget’s investments in afterschool programs this week in McKeesport, Penn. at the McKeesport’s LaRosa Youth Club – where he spent many afternoons as a child and preteen – to talk through how the newly signed bipartisan state budget will provide millions for afterschool programs to keep Pennsylvania communities safe and give kids more opportunities.

“As someone who was a Club Kid when I was growing up, I know firsthand the value of afterschool programs,” said Lt. Gov. Davis, who leads the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “These programs keep kids safe during the critical hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and they provide opportunities for enrichment. That’s why I’m incredibly proud that the bipartisan state budget includes funding for afterschool programs, as part of our comprehensive approach to making Pennsylvania communities safer.”

To support young people and safe communities, the Pennsylvania 2024-25 state budget invests:

• $11.5 million?to create a statewide Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) program through PCCD, which will aim to reduce community violence by providing more afterschool learning opportunities for young peopl
   
• $45 million in proven community-based programs to reduce violence through PCCD, including a $5 million increase for the successful Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program, which supports a wide range of models focused on reducing community violence and relies on community groups that are most in tune with specific local needs

The BOOST program comes after years of advocacy by young people, parents, and friends of afterschool in Pennsylvania, as well as support for the out of school time field by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN.) The effort also follows up on a June 2021 report by the Joint State Government Commission calculated the return on investment for out-of-school time programs as approximately $6.69 for each $1 invested in Pennsylvania. The Afterschool Alliance estimates that for every Pennsylvania child enrolled in an afterschool program, there are four more waiting for an available program.

The Lieutenant Governor spoke at the LaRosa Youth Club, an outstanding afterschool and summer program that provides first-class enrichment opportunities to the youth of McKeesport, setting them on a successful path to adulthood. They focus on leadership, citizenship, education, recreation, community service and healthy life skills. Young people receive daily homework tutoring and access to extracurricular, engaging educational programs. The club also provides organized sports and physical education, as well as an afterschool meal and a safe environment with multiple amenities.

To learn more about efforts to fund and sustain afterschool programs at the state level, see the Afterschool Alliance’s sustainability web page.