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Sample Letter to the
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Sample Meeting Request Letter
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• • •
Sample Letter
to the Editor
The recent expansion of state funding for
after-school programs is a tremendous victory for California
and a giant step toward achieving after-school for all in
the state. From elementary school to high school, after-school
programs provide a safe, enriching environment that provides
young people with extra time to master essential skills,
discover new passions and get on the path to productive
adulthood. After-school programs are also proven to improve
students’ academic achievement and lower their risk
of repeating a grade, dropping out and engaging in other
risky behaviors such as drug use and crime. For example,
a recent evaluation of the LA’s BEST program in Los
Angeles showed that participants were 20 percent less likely
to drop out of school than their peers. A 2001 evaluation
of the existing statewide after-school program revealed
that the California was likely to save $11 million that
year because fewer students would be held back in school.
Schools, districts and community organizations should work
together to bring after-school programs to their students
of all ages.
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Sample Op-Ed
The recent expansion of state funding for
after-school programs is a tremendous opportunity for schools
and communities to provide extra learning support to California’s
kids from elementary school to high school.
The most important benefits after-school
programs provide are the ones that directly affect the children
and youth they serve. After all, it’s about the kids.
After-school programs make the most of the free time students
naturally have after the bell rings and before their parents
get home from work. With that gap having grown to as much
as 25 hours a week, we have a great opportunity to help
youth of all ages make the most of those hours by providing
them with a safe, enriching environment where they can master
basic skills, explore new interests and spend time with
friends and caring adults. Left unsupervised, they might
spend that time just watching TV or even getting involved
with risky behaviors such as drug use and criminal activity.
One example of what after-school programs
can do is LA’s BEST, one of the state’s larger
and better-known providers. Evaluations show that LA’s
BEST participants feel safer in their program than in their
neighborhoods, are learning better social skills and classroom
behavior, and have good relationships with program staff.
Participants also have better school attendance, which has
lead to higher test scores and better grades. They are also
20 percent less likely to drop out of school than their
peers, and 66 percent say they definitely want to go to
college. Now imagine if students at every elementary and
middle school in the state had the chance to experience
a quality program like that.
For starters, the state would save a lot
of money. When students have extra time to learn and master
skills in after-school programs, they are less likely to
need remedial education or be held back a grade. In fact,
a recent evaluation of the state after-school program upon
which ASES is built revealed that the state would likely
save $11 million that year because fewer students would
be held back in school. When students have extra time to
find lifelong passions and get excited about learning, they
feel more positive about the future and are less likely
to drop out of school. High school dropouts earn about 24
percent less money during their lifetimes than high school
graduates. They’re also more likely to be poor and
unemployed, and they’re more than eight times as likely
to be in jail or prison. When a child drops out of high
school, we pay for it in lost tax revenues, public assistance
and incarceration. It just makes good business sense to
save a lot on the back end by investing a little up front.
And speaking of business, California has
always been a leader in attracting the most cutting-edge
industries. A key part of that is having a top-notch workforce.
Businesses today are looking for people with 21st century
skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, self-direction
and technology know-how. However, if future workers come
out the end of the “education pipeline” unable
to meet these standards, businesses bear the cost of retraining
them. That’s why companies throughout the state are
already investing their own time and money in after-school
programs. Providing youth with extra time for skills development
and internships that will prepare them for college and careers
not only helps businesses develop the kind of employees
they’d like to have in the future, but it also supports
the working parents they employ today.
After-school programs capitalize on kids’
free time to support working parents, keep kids safe and
help to put them on the path to productive adulthood and
lifelong learning. The benefits of one child spending a
few extra hours a day in a safe, enriching environment ripple
through every part of the state. After-school programs are
one of the better investments we can make in our kids.
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Sample Meeting Request Letter
[Your Letterhead]
[Date]
Name
Address
Address
Dear _________:
I would like to meet with you at your earliest
convenience to discuss forming a partnership to provide
after-school programs for the students in our community.
[Suggest two or three dates/times for a meeting]
The recent expansion of state funding for
after-school programs offers a tremendous opportunity for
schools and community organizations to work together to
provide youth in our community with an enriching environment
that keeps kids safe, helps working families and improves
participants’ academic achievement. By working together,
we can combine our strengths and resources to provide quality
programs and staff that meet students’ needs and reach
the students who need these programs the most.
I look forward to sharing with you more
information on after-school programs and the public funding
streams that are now open. [If you plan to bring another
advocate with you, include that information here.] I can
be reached at [phone & e-mail].
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Title]
[Organization]
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