The William T. Grant Foundation announces the release of a report entitled “California’s Afterschool Expansion: The planning for implementation of Proposition 49 and considerations for planners in other states.” The report, commissioned by the Foundation and written by California-based consultant Joseph Ames, tells how California mobilized to implement the largest state-funded expansion of after-school services in the nation’s history.

Ames, a former editor at the Miami Herald and Orange County Register, draws four primary findings from his interviews with key people involved in this effort. The Foundation hopes that these lessons will be useful to policymakers, practitioners, and advocates in other states and cities that are planning on expanding their after-school programs.

1. Know the current state of after-school, and develop your plan accordingly. Existing advocacy efforts in California ensured that important changes were made to the legislation to help make the expansion attractive to schools and their subcontractors.
2. Secure buy-in from as many partners as possible, as early as possible. This includes partners from outside the education system, through which after-school systems are often administered.
3. Combine in-state expertise with outside observations and suggestions. Also, clear communications among stakeholders is critical, as is a clear reporting structure.
4. Build consensus about what constitutes quality and be clear about what capacity exists when it comes to monitoring and improving quality at scale.

“Joe Ames has produced a lively, readable, and useful accounting of the extraordinary work Californians are doing to expand their after-school programs statewide,” said Bob Granger, president of the William T. Grant Foundation.

Mr. Ames will present his findings on a panel entitled “Afterschool for All: California’s Launch of Proposition 49,” sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) on Friday, June 15, 2007, on Capitol Hill. Visit the AYPF website for more information: http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2007/fb061507.htm.

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