Policy Development

NYSAN provides a forum for public and private sector partners at the state and local levels to work together to develop public policies to increase the quality and availability of afterschool programs statewide. To achieve this goal, NYSAN creates communication channels, shares information and promotes a common policy agenda among afterschool stakeholders. NYSAN also works to build general public awareness and support for afterschool.

Current Statewide Policy Initiatives

• Supporting Student Success
• Afterschool Maps and Data
• Revising the School-Age Child Care regulations (web content under development - please contact NYSAN at info [at] nysan.org for more information)

NYSAN Policy Briefs: Building an Afterschool System for All

Learn more from the NYSAN Policy Brief series. Current issues include:

• Afterschool Programs and Expanded Learning Opportunities in New York State: A Systems-Building Policy Agenda
  Includes principles about ELOs, statistics about the statewide need for ELOs, system-building and funding goals and principles, policy actions, and an updated funding chart.
• Expanded Learning Opportunities: A Guide for Policymakers
  Outlines the value, impact, and benefits of high-quality afterschool programs and other ELOs.
• Expanding the Role of Afterschool Programs in Promoting Health and Wellness
  Focuses on the issues related to child and youth health, the resources afterschool programs provide, and how to expand the role of afterschool programs to better promote healthy physical development.
• From Birth through Young Adulthood: A Blueprint for Collaboration between the Early Care and Education and Afterschool Systems in New York State
  Contains a written blueprint for how the early care and afterschool communities can work together to build a system of support for the "whole child."
• The Role of Afterschool Programs in Increasing High School Graduation Rates in New York State
  Provides an overview of the benefits to high school graduation; describes the New York State context; links afterschool to factors that improve high school graduation rates; and recommends a number of policies that can forge a stronger partnership between schools and afterschool programs in addressing this issue.
• Expanding and Enhancing Summer Learning Opportunities in New York State
  Articulates the value and impact of high-quality summer learning opportunities; spotlights exemplary programs already operating in New York State; and recommends strategies to expand and enhance these types of programs.
• 2008 Statewide Policy Agenda
• Creating a Stronger Afterschool System for New York State
  Outlines recommendations for New York State from the effective system-building efforts of other states and localities.
• Afterschool Funding in New York State: The Case for a More Coordinated System
  Provides an analysis of the major sources of public funding for afterschool programs in New York State, with suggestions for steps the state can take to begin building a more coordinated and effective system.

Read NYSAN's comments to the NY State Education Department on the importance of allowing Contract for Excellence funding to support afterschool programs.

Raising Awareness About Afterschool

NYSAN coordinates with many state and national partners to help afterschool stakeholders in New York raise public awareness and reach out to policymakers about the needs of kids and afterschool programs. Several organizations hold annual events and can help keep you informed about urgent policy and funding issues.

• The Association of New York State Youth Bureaus | www.anysyb.net
  holds an annual advocacy day and provides information on county funding of youth development services.
• The Afterschool Alliance | www.afterschoolalliance.org
  provides current news on federal funding and policy affecting afterschool, hosts the annual Afterschool for All Challenge in Washington, DC and sponsors Lights on Afterschool!, a national awareness campaign of events and activities hosted at thousands of sites around the country.
• The Alliance for Justice | www.afj.org
  offers helpful publications and trainings on the do's and don'ts of lobbying for 501c3 and other non-profit organizations.

Learn more about how to get involved. Supporting effective Early Care and Education (ECE) policies and practices is extremely important to NYSAN's goal of promoting young people's safety, learning, and healthy development. To learn more about ECE programs, policies, and advocacy opportunities, please visit the Winning Beginning NY Web site.