New report: Stability and Change in Afterschool Systems

In March, the National Institute for Work and Learning, FHI 360, published a report sponsored by The Wallace Foundation focusing on the coordination of afterschool programming among out-of-school-time providers, government agencies, private funders, and others. Following up on a 2012-2013 survey, the data for the report was collected right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in spring of 2020. While COVID has dramatically shifted what OST programming looks like—and even when programming is happening—it has also made all the more apparent the important role of partnerships and coordination among community entities to ensure that youth, especially those most vulnerable, have access to safe spaces and support. This report, “Stability and Change in Afterschool Systems, 2013-2020: A Follow-Up Study of Afterschool Coordination in Large Cities,” outlines a number of significant takeaways that will be critical for the field to focus on as we look towards formalizing these kinds of partnerships in an even greater capacity to reimagine learning and afterschool.

The original 2013 report randomly identified 100 U.S. cities with populations larger than 100,000 and surveyed to what extent these localities were engaged in afterschool systems-building initiatives, defined in part by three key components identified by The Wallace Foundation: a coordinating entity, a common data system, and quality standards or framework. Out of the 100 cities contacted, 77 were determined to be engaged with these kinds of initiatives in 2012-2013. For this updated study, the authors reached out to 75 of these original cities (two were left out for methodological reasons) and they connected with 67. They again revisited the three key components to determine sustainability of activity, as well as considering what locations adopted coordination strategies they did not have in 2013.

A strong majority of cities (57 out of the 67 researchers were able to connect with) were still coordinating afterschool efforts in 2020. Over three-quarters of cities had sustained their work and many adopted additional components they did not have in 2013.

The proportion of cities implementing all three coordination components increased from 29% in 2013 to 40% in 2020 and only 1 in 5 experienced a decrease in the number of coordination components implemented.

Among the city characteristics that seemed to have an impact on the sustainability or change in the number of key components, financial support was a clear driver in advancing afterschool coordination and increased funding had a statistically significant relationship with those locations where all three components were present. Larger cities (with a population greater than 500,000 people) tended to have all three components in greater frequency, compared with the smaller-sized cities. The research also found a statistically significant relationship between city leader commitment to afterschool systems and the presence of a common data system. Especially considering the real opportunity for our field in utilizing the funds available through the American Rescue Plan Act and the momentum for making the case to gain buy-in from significant stakeholders such as city leaders, school districts, and LEAs, the potential for implementing coordination systems has perhaps never been greater.

The respondents in a majority of cities reflected the need for greater resources and support around planning for sustainability, engaging stakeholders, implementing and overcoming challenges with common data systems, and understanding ways to use that data for quality improvement.

To learn more about the key takeaways, read the full report. To learn  more about funding opportunities through the American Rescue Plan Act to support this kind of partnership and coordination, visit our resources page.