Jenny Knowles Morrison, PhD Texas A&M University Bush School of Government and Public Service Research Overview Making Sense of the Out of School Time Challenge: Understanding the Texas Business Community’s Incentives for Action through an Assessment of Employer Awareness, Attitudes, and Motivations Presented to April 2, 2014

Emerging Policy Challenge Low Income Family Problem  Everyone’s Problem * Disappearing middle class * Increasing single parents * More working parents = Managing OST  Worker Productivity = Business Community Problem Opportunity for Wider Social Impacts, Unique Partnerships Emerging (Legislative Issue - Coordinate Solutions) Opportunity for Effective Public Policy Intervention

Study Motivation Senate Bill 503 (2013) Created the Expanded Learning Opportunities Council – first action in recent history on out of school time Texas Legislative Agenda Requires ELO recommendations, corporate engagement, and revenue-neutral policy ideas on Out of School Time. No TX evidence to bolster the coming debate. TEGAC, TXPOST Formation Momentum and support growing on this issue = Policy Window Open!

Knowledge Gaps Dimensions of the logistics problem for individual employees Dimensions of productivity problem for employers o If/how employers support working parents and what are effects on productivity? o How does employer awareness and attitudes of OST challenges for employees shape corporate support? o What are motivations behind corporate programming to address OST challenges? o Are there untapped incentives to drive broader support of OST programming?

Research Purpose * Understand Texas corporations’ understandings of and attitudes towards the OST challenge * Identify private sector best practices to address staff productivity during kids’ out of school time, and * Identify incentives to support new private sector initiatives to provide this benefit

Research Questions To what extent are Texas corporations engaged in out of school time programming? *What are Texas businesses doing to address OST for their own employees, and how can these programs be adapted to other Texas businesses? What would motivate increased engagement by corporations? * What is the perception among leadership in the private sector of OST effect on productivity? *What are the business justifications for private sector leadership on OST programming?

7 Data Collection Strategy Research Phase Dimension of OST Challenge OperationalizationData Source 1“Employee Logistics” Documentation of employee challenges related to filling in OST childcare gap Online survey of 100 employees across representative sample of Texas corporations (50 proactive OST supporters, 50 No OST support corporations 2“Employee Productivity” Documentation of evidence of impact of lack of OST programming RoI study, TAMU capstone; In-depth interviews with 20 HR managers 3 “Employer Attitude, Awareness, Motivations, Incentives” Documentation of employer awareness & attitudes towards OST In-depth interviews with 20 CEOs 4“Employer Strategies” Assessment of OST strategies currently engaged by companies In-depth interviews with 20 HR Managers; Case studies of current corporate-supported OST programming 5“Policy Solutions”Identification of potential policy solutions Literature review to assess best practices nationally

8 Texas Industries Technology EnergyGroceryFinancial/BankingRestaurantRetailServices Locations Urban, Established OST Networks: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Waco Rural, High-Need Area: Rio Grande Valley Primary Staff Composition Salaried, Mid-High IncomeHourly, Low-Income Sampling Frame: Representative Texas Corporations OST Engagement Proactive OST Support No OST Support

Research with a Triple Bottom Line Audience: Stakeholders with Differing Priorities but Similar Budgetary Concerns Texan Foundations Businesses Legislators

Preliminary Insights *Need more evidence-based research to understand dynamics and opportunities for sustained impact (focus on details – timing, location, transportation options) *Need to keep special attention on creating solutions that are workable for low-income, hourly/shift workers *Best practices emerging from community collaborations involving wide array of actors (parents, schools, foundations, businesses, providers, government, etc.) *Need to focus on incentives to support dialogue and solution generation, expand the stakeholder community: employees, HR Managers, CEOs, legislators, foundations…