July 2002

TC Wallace and Walter Burt have a few things in common. Both are superintendents of Detroit-area school districts, both are Fellows of the Urban Health Initiative, and both have had great success in establishing and expanding after-school programming in their districts.

"When I became superintendent in 1998, we had no after-school program," says Wallace, superintendent of Mount Clemens Community School District. "In 2000, our first year of after-school programming, more than 500 of our 3300 students were engaged in comprehensive after-school programs in five schools, far more than our goal of 240 students. The numbers have increased since then. Also, Parent/Family Night has been a huge success with over 350 families participating."

Burt, superintendent of Pontiac Schools, has also led positive change in his district. "We currently have 3500 students participating in after-school programs in every elementary and middle school in the city," he says.

Many factors have contributed to the successful expansion of after-school programming in these communities. Both superintendents, though, cite a visit early in their respective tenures from Grenaé Dudley as the beginning of a vital partnership key to the achievement of their after-school goals. Dudley is executive director of The Youth Connection (TYC) of Greater Detroit.

"When I first came, Grenaé came to meet with me to talk about after-school," says Burt. "I realized that The Youth Connection's philosophy fell in line with mine as I believe our facilities should be available to the community."

After these initial meetings, The Youth Connection became an advisor, facilitator, and investor that helped the districts plan, implement and attract funding for their after-school efforts. The Youth Connection's goal for the districts is that they will tap into permanent funding streams.

In Mt. Clemens, TYC facilitated a partnership with Wallace and Mayor Harry Diehl. As a result, the school district and city created the ASAP (After-School Activities and Programs) Office known as MASK (Magnificent After-School Kids). TYC also helped the schools secure nearly a million dollars in grants from the State Family Independence Agency. In addition, TYC brought in other key partners, such as the YMCA and the Macomb County Human Services Coordinating Body.

Similarly in Pontiac, TYC contributed and helped leverage more than $2 million dollars for the after-school effort, and contributed data and planning expertise. (In a parallel effort, TYC and the United Way of Oakland County have initiated after-school programs in four housing communities located in high-crime areas of Pontiac.)

Both school districts have benefited from TYC's marketing and communications efforts. TYC's survey of youth in Mt. Clemens and Pontiac regarding the type of programming they would like informed the planning of programs in both districts. Plus, TYC's ad campaign carries the slogan "Participate 3 to 8" in order to deepen the appreciation among kids, parents and the community at large of the benefits of after-school programs.

As is the case with its sister UHI campaigns in Baltimore, Oakland, Richmond and Philadelphia, The Youth Connection's ultimate goal is to have the systemic changes it affects made permanent. This will necessarily mean attracting long-term, generally public, resources.

With the aid of the early investment of TYC and others, Mt. Clemens schools has been able to take a very large step toward making its after-school programs permanent. We think it's long term, even with early grant funding. "We're moving to a community education approach with after-school as its nucleus, but don't have a place to house it. The city of Mount Clemens recently received a federal grant to build a community center in the neediest part of the city," says Wallace. "The city will divert that money to the school district so we can build a center to house our after-school programs. The funding also will cover much of the operational expenses." In addition to this funding, Wallace notes that the school board has committed resources, as have other partners.

Burt cites TYC's efforts to work with state officials on greater after-school funding in general as an important component of a long-term funding strategy for Pontiac's programs. Also, TYC is working with Pontiac on a specific funding challenge: The district now offers dinner (in addition to breakfast and lunch) to many after-school participants, but state statutes require that an entity be licensed as a day care center in order to receive reimbursement from the state for those meals.

With the expansion of their after-school efforts, Burt and Wallace are seeing a difference. In Mt. Clemens, improvements have been documented with regard to violence, substance abuse, classroom behavior academic scores and increased exposure to new skills.

"In Pontiac, we're seeing a decline in inappropriate conduct and suspensions," says Burt. "Suspensions are going down because kids are in structured activities, so conflicts after-school are minimized and don't carry over into the next school day. Also, by keeping our doors open all day, we've developed a wholesome, collegial atmosphere in our schools. More parents come in and we're getting a lot more community groups involved in our after-school tutorial and other programs."

In addition to working in Mt. Clemens and Pontiac, The Youth Connection is very active in expanding the quality and quantity of after-school programs in the City of Detroit by, among other things, spearheading Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's Mayor's Time initiative. For an article on this website regarding Mayor's Time, click here.

For more information on this website about The Youth Connection, click here. For more information on this website on after-school issues, click here.