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Help educate candidates about afterschool

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Help educate candidates about afterschool

By Charlotte Steinecke Posted: May 07, 2026

This blog is part of our Advocating For Afterschool series, where we share tools and best practices to help make the case for afterschool to policymakers at the local, state, and national levels. To see more installments of the series, check out the Advocacy tag on The Afterschool Snack.

Afterschool is top of mind for us—but not every candidate for office realizes that afterschool should be a part of their platform! To help educate candidates at the local, state, and nation level, we've create a quick guide to afterschool and the issues afterschool programs address. 

The Candidate Resource Guide on Afterschool provides a one-page primer on the afterschool issues for candidates, including additional data on public support for afterschool, program supply and demand, and research on afterschool outcomes for youth, families and communities. On the back, we've included topline findings from the fifth edition of America After 3PM, to help illustrate the demand for programs and the high satisfaction rating parents give programs.

How to use it

Download the Candidate Resource Guide on Afterschool, then mail or email it to all candidates for a particular office and their advisors with a personal letter discussing how the issue affects your area. If you are able, tailor the guide to include data specific to your locality.

Share this guide at candidate forums, and be sure to ask candidates what their plans are to invest in afterschool and summer learning!

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