1. MARKETING AFTERSCHOOL HOW TO MAKE A CASE AND BUILD SUPPORT FOR YOUR PROGRAM

2. MAKING THE CASE… The Public Wants & Needs Afterschool Parents of 28 million kids work outside the home 14.3 million children—1 in 4—are alone and unsupervised after school 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. most dangerous hours Juvenile crime soars (triples) Peak hours for drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex Parents of 15 million children would sign up for an afterschool program if one were available More than 80% say children need a place to go after school 2/3 say afterschool is an absolute necessity 72% want Congress to increase afterschool funding 73% want state and local officials to increase afterschool funding 69% would support a tax increase if it went to afterschool

3.  Improved Test Scores and Grades  Improved School Attendance, Engagement in Learning  Improved Social and Emotional Behavior  Improved Health and Wellness BENEFITS OF QUALITY AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS

4. Benefits to Bottom Line Parental concern about kids afterschool costs employers: Up to $300 billion a year due to lost work productivity and 8 additional missed days of work Every $1 invested saves taxpayers $3 Employers say that 40% of High School graduates lack the skills they need to succeed in the 21 st century work force

5. STATE AFTERSCHOOL POLICY  38 Statewide networks working to build supportive afterschool systems (Missouri was one of the original states awarded a grant through the MOTT foundation to start a state network.)  26 Governors hold Afterschool Summits  50 Governors sign Lights On Proclamations  Creative and Diverse Ways to Fund Afterschool (bond issues, use of district funds, Title I funds, community agencies and business support, etc…)

6. WHAT YOU CAN DO Market Afterschool & Promote Your Program

7. KNOW YOUR ALLIES Afterschool Providers CEOs, Police Chiefs, District Attorneys, Parents and more Youth Voices State and citywide leaders Parents

8.  Use Events to Boost Profile, Build Relationships  Generate Media Coverage  Make Afterschool an election issue  Contact Congress (very important for future funding)  Position your program to be partner at the table when key decisions are made for your school or CBO

9. Arrange a Site Visit (Ask a member of Congress and local politicians to visit) Help your elected officials establish a personal connection to afterschool by inviting them to visit a program and see firsthand how it is helping kids and families  Find the home district address and phone number for your elected officials.  Identify a few dates during the next Congressional recess when you could host a tour of your program.  Call the district office.  Before the visit: Identify youth, parents, program staff, school officials and community partners who would be convincing spokespeople for your program.  What to do the day of the visit.

10. Helpful Hint If you don’t know the answer to something asked by a member of Congress respond by saying, “ I don’t have that information at my fingertips at this time. I promise as soon as I leave here I will get that information and get it to you.” Make sure you get what was requested ASAP. NEVER give information that you cannot verify…Congressional members are counting on you to give the most up to date and correct information. If they quote you and the information is incorrect they may never support Afterschool again. Always travel with fact sheets and data when doing Congressional visits.

11. DATA, DATA, DATA… Use your Kids Care Data to tell your story  How many students you serve  Percentages of female/male participants  MAP scores  Academic Grade increases (92% raised their math grade)  Attendance Rates  Adult participation  Volunteer Hours = $ (use the state average to figure $ amount)  A+ hours  Events  Professional Development  Inventory

12. Lights On Afterschool October 21, 2011  Annual nationwide event  Brings attention to the need for afterschool programs and resources  8,500+ events and 1 million Americans nationwide  Thousands of newspaper & TV stories  Build relationships w/ business community, neighborhood leaders, elected officials Sign up at www.afterschoolalliance.org

13. QUICK TIPS FOR MEDIA COVERAGE  Learn general tips on how the media works  Have facts typed up for them that are key to the article or story  Create your own program media list & email group  Identify your 3 key messages (keep kids safe, help working families & increases academic achievement)  Structure the event with the media in mind  Appeal to the press---develop relationships  Issue news releases or news blasts  Develop a media kit (brochure or program book with contact info included and photo release info)  Manage the media at your event

14. CONTACT CONGRESS  Call, write or email  Send copies of newsletters, links to website, copies of newspaper articles (Look what is happening in Afterschool at Camdenton R-III today…)  Meet with district staff or a legislative assistants

15. AFTERSCHOOL FOR ALL Afterschool For All brings together individuals and organizations from across the nation who support the vision that all children and youth deserve access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Register your support & be recognized by the Afterschool for All campaign Thousands of leaders, organizations and businesses already on board Sign up to show your support www.afterschoolalliance.org