Policy Action Alerts

Students at Scott K-8 SUN School in Portland, who benefit from 21CCLC services

Now more than ever it is important for all of us to tell our legislators why afterschool matters to us. We invite you to join us in reaching out to our local and national representatives to share the stories of how afterschool makes a difference for youth and their communities.

OregonASK will be sending out policy updates every Friday this spring, to keep you all aware of changes and happenings on the state and national level.

21st Century Community Learning Center Funding

Yesterday, President Trump released his budget proposal and in it, 21st Century Community Learning Centers(21CCLC) are eliminated ( See Page 17). While the President's proposal only serves as a guide for Congress, this is a cause of great concern for our Oregon partners and the field. The 21CCLC dollars that Oregon receives represents the single largest investment in afterschool in our state.

We need to work together over the next several months as advocates to let our Senators and Representatives know that 21CCLC programs in Oregon provide essential supports for youth, families, and communities. Over 10,000 students are served by 21CCLC programs in Oregon, representing 152 communities. 21CCLC programs keep children and youth safe and supervised, give working parents peace of mind, and inspire learning and community outside of the school day.

The Afterschool Alliance has made it easy to email your Representative and our Senators by following this link: TAKE ACTION NOW. This takes less than 5 minutes of your time and can help make a HUGE impact for our field. If you have additional time, and can make a phone call to Senator Merkley or Senator Wyden specifically, please do so, and let them know what 21CCLC programs mean to Oregon. You can reach Senator Merkley's DC Office at (202)224-3753 or visit his website here. Senator Wyden's DC Office phone number is (202)224-5244 and you can find his website here.

Our legislators will be home in early April for recess. We encourage you to invite them to visit your programs.

If you are concerned about lobbying on grant dollars, remember that you can make these calls or send these emails on your lunch break or off the clock. If you have additional concerns, don't hesitate to contact me and I am happy to help you navigate this.

We need all hands on deck for this push-Oregon youth and families need our voices. Please involve your staff, board members, and parents and youth as appropriate. Please forward this email and share in as many venues as you can!

Upcoming Webinars

OregonASK is hosting a series of webinars this spring about federal policy surrounding the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and 21CCLC. Join us for these conversations if you can, or look for recordings afterwards.

Presidential Budget for 2018- 21CCLC Funding Cut

March 28th 11:00-12:00 PST, register here

Join us to discuss what the proposed funding cut to 21CCLC means to afterschool professionals, and how we can come together to advocate for the importance of these programs

Integrating Summer, STEM & ESSA

April 12th 10:00-11:00 PST, register here

Join OregonASK and the National Summer Learning Association as we talk about utilizing summer STEM opportunities as a tool for ESSA implementation. And here the most up-to-date info on the policy implications from the state and national level.

ESSA and Afterschool

April 19th 10:30-11:30 PST, register here

You will hear national policy updates from the Afterschool Alliance as we discuss the state and national opportunities to integrate informal STEM within ESSA implementation. We will be sharing updated policy information from the state and national level, including budget outlook.

OregonASK Day at the Capitol

Make your voice heard!

Join us on Tuesday, May 2nd in Salem to share with your local legislators why afterschool matters to you.

REGISTER HERE

Thank you for your support of afterschool in Oregon and across the nation.

Beth Unverzagt, Executive Director

[email protected]

(503)689-1656

OregonASK is a collaboration of public and private organizations and community members which seek to address common-issues and concerns across all out-of-school time services- child care, recreation, education and youth development.

(503)689-1656 | [email protected] | www.oregonask.org

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