Recent News

After reviewing over 35 competitive applications, the California Afterschool Network Nominating Committee is pleased to congratulate the nine new Leadership Team members to begin their terms on July 1, 2008.

State Senator Tom Torlakson recently introduced Senate Bill 1674 (SB 1674) on the Senate floor. If passed this bill will expand opportunities for after school program staff to access the existing Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program; clarify that ASES grantees using supplemental grants may use grant funds to operate and track attendance and expenses on weekends in addition to inner session, summer, and vacation periods; set a minimum grant amount for small schools with 60 students or less with 2/3 of the students attending the after school program in order to ensure that small programs receive enough grant funding to employ the staff necessary to run the program; and ensure that subcontractors of ASES grantees receive a reasonable amount of administrative funds to administer after school programs.

Donald Bren, Chairman of The Irvine Company has announced an $8.5 million gift to enable the expansion of THINK Together’s academic focused after-school programs in Santa Ana and eastern Los Angeles County. The gift will help to ensure that at least an additional 10,000 students will be enrolled in THINK Together’s after-school programs beginning in the Fall of 2008, bringing the total number of students served by the program to 30,000. To learn more about this landmark gift, visit http://pdfserver.emediawire.com/releases/Donald_Bren/Think_Together/prwe...

The President recently released his 2009 budget request that proposes to fund the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program at $800 million for nationwide after school programs. This is a reduction from the Congress proposed $1.08 billion budget for the program, while The No Child Left Behind act originally authorized 2.5 billion be released annually for the program.

The CDE After School Programs Office is currently accepting applications for grant readers and table leaders for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant Readers Conference to be held in Sacramento April 7-11, 2008. Readers must commit to April 8-11 and table leaders must commit to April 7-11. By reading and scoring 21st CCLC grant applications, participants will learn more about writing effective grant applications while providing a valuable service to the field. The application deadline is March 7, 2008.

Senator Tom Torlakson recently proposed Senate Bill 43 (SB 43) which seeks to include after school workers in the Para Professional Teaching Program (PPTP), a program that provides financial assistance to school district employees working as an instructional aide to complete degree and teacher credential coursework. Many after school staff persons are not eligible for this program because a school or school district does not directly employ them. SB 43 proposes that after school staff become eligible for the Para Professional Teaching Program.

The California Afterschool Network recently released maps of California that document the number of after school programs by Federal Congressional District, State Senate District, and State Assembly District. Each map is joined with a table that outlines the Representative, State Senator, or State Assembly-person corresponding with the number of schools and students served. To view these maps, click here.

President Bush recently signed the omnibus-spending bill that included a $100 million increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, bringing the total appropriation for the program to $1.1 billion. Although this is still a fraction of the original appropriation for the 21st CCLC program under the No Child Left Behind Act which called for $2.5 billion annually for after school programs, according to the Afterschool Alliance, this will result in access to after school programs for an additional 100,000 children across the United States in fiscal year 2008.

President Bush recently signed the omnibus-spending bill that included a $100 million increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, bringing the total appropriation for the program to $1.1 billion. Although this is still a fraction of the original appropriation for the 21st CCLC program under the No Child Left Behind Act which called for $2.5 billion annually for after school programs, according to the Afterschool Alliance, this will result in access to after school programs for an additional 100,000 children across the United States in fiscal year 2008.

The California Department of Education (CDE), as a response to numerous requests from potential applicants, has extended the due date for current Request for Applications for 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program grants to February 15, 2008.

The CDE After School Programs Office (ASPO) must receive applications by February 15, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. (It is not sufficient to postmark applications by this date. Applications must be delivered to the ASPO by 5:00 p.m.)

The Start - Stay - Succeed Campaign

Recent research has overwhelmingly shown that frequent attendance in after school programs produces positive outcomes for children and youth. Students who participate in after school programs are likely to experience academic gains, show increased pro-social and behavior outcomes, and their communities may see a reduction in juvenile crime. Research also suggests that a lack of supervision after school is associated with negative outcomes for disadvantaged youth. 


A new report from Policy Studies Associates finds that New York City students who attended middle school after-school programs had better attendance in ninth grade, and earned more credits, than similar students who did not. The study, After-School Programs and High School Success: Analysis of Post-Program Educational Patterns of Former Middle-Grades TASC Participants, was funded by the C.S.