History of Afterschool in America
Media Kit
Printer Friendly Version
Printer Friendly Version
INTRODUCTION
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. But, few are aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society.
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation have created a video to document this history. In this documentary, we attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. It also looks at the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
We have created this media kit to assist afterschool stakeholders in spreading the word about this resource and promoting opportunities for others to view it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is The History of Afterschool in America Documentary?
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. But, few are aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society.
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, we have created this documentary to tell this history. In this documentary, we attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. It also looks at the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
What inspired the production of this documentary?
The Producer, Sam Piha, was initially inspired by Robert Halpern’s book, Making Play Work. In this book, Dr. Halpern offered a detailed history of out-of-school programs serving the needs of low-income youth. After reading this book, Sam created a series of Power Point slides on the history of afterschool, which he included in all of his presentations to afterschool stakeholders. Youth workers always responded with great interest and excitement in learning that they belong to something that was an important part of American history. From those experiences, Sam decided it was important to create a video documentary on the subject.
How was The History of Afterschool in America made?
This project took several years to complete. Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation identified 20 afterschool leaders across the country and attained their agreement to participate in video interviews. They contacted local youth media programs across the country that would lead these video recorded interviews. Change Agent Productions, a social enterprise dedicated to providing high quality media services while providing workforce opportunities for teens, agreed to assist with producing a brief trailer and the final 60-minute documentary.
How is The History of Afterschool in America structured?
The 60-minute documentary is broken into 12 brief chapters. This allows the flexibility to select those chapters that are most relevant to the audience. Chapters 1 through 3 examine the social upheaval beginning in the late 1800s, which served as the pre-conditions for the early afterschool movement. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the growing need for child supervision, leading to the playground movement and the rise of afterschool youth programs. Chapters 6 through 12 look at the milestones and events that gave rise to the modern and greatly expanded afterschool movement we see today, and important program concepts and trends.
Who is the intended audience?
The intended audience includes afterschool staff and their stakeholders, older youth, and adults in higher education studying for a career working with young people (education, social work, leisure studies, child and adolescent development, etc.).
Who are the afterschool leaders that were interviewed?
We were interested in enlisting leaders at the national, state, and local levels. National leaders included Karen Pittman (Forum for Youth Investment), Ellen Gannett (NIOST), Robert Granger (formerly WT Grant Foundation), Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Jodi Grant (Afterschool Alliance), and Pedro Noguera (UCLA), who served as our narrator. State leaders included Bonnie Reiss (USC), Brian Lee (Fight Crime - Invest in Kids), Jennifer Peck (Partnership for Children and Youth), and Sylvia Yee (formerly of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund). We also included interviews with youth, and local program and technical assistance leaders.
How can people use and/or promote the free History of Afterschool in America documentary?
There are several ways that people can get involved. Below are some ideas:
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. But, few are aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society.
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation have created a video to document this history. In this documentary, we attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. It also looks at the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
We have created this media kit to assist afterschool stakeholders in spreading the word about this resource and promoting opportunities for others to view it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is The History of Afterschool in America Documentary?
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. But, few are aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society.
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, we have created this documentary to tell this history. In this documentary, we attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. It also looks at the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
What inspired the production of this documentary?
The Producer, Sam Piha, was initially inspired by Robert Halpern’s book, Making Play Work. In this book, Dr. Halpern offered a detailed history of out-of-school programs serving the needs of low-income youth. After reading this book, Sam created a series of Power Point slides on the history of afterschool, which he included in all of his presentations to afterschool stakeholders. Youth workers always responded with great interest and excitement in learning that they belong to something that was an important part of American history. From those experiences, Sam decided it was important to create a video documentary on the subject.
How was The History of Afterschool in America made?
This project took several years to complete. Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation identified 20 afterschool leaders across the country and attained their agreement to participate in video interviews. They contacted local youth media programs across the country that would lead these video recorded interviews. Change Agent Productions, a social enterprise dedicated to providing high quality media services while providing workforce opportunities for teens, agreed to assist with producing a brief trailer and the final 60-minute documentary.
How is The History of Afterschool in America structured?
The 60-minute documentary is broken into 12 brief chapters. This allows the flexibility to select those chapters that are most relevant to the audience. Chapters 1 through 3 examine the social upheaval beginning in the late 1800s, which served as the pre-conditions for the early afterschool movement. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the growing need for child supervision, leading to the playground movement and the rise of afterschool youth programs. Chapters 6 through 12 look at the milestones and events that gave rise to the modern and greatly expanded afterschool movement we see today, and important program concepts and trends.
Who is the intended audience?
The intended audience includes afterschool staff and their stakeholders, older youth, and adults in higher education studying for a career working with young people (education, social work, leisure studies, child and adolescent development, etc.).
Who are the afterschool leaders that were interviewed?
We were interested in enlisting leaders at the national, state, and local levels. National leaders included Karen Pittman (Forum for Youth Investment), Ellen Gannett (NIOST), Robert Granger (formerly WT Grant Foundation), Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Jodi Grant (Afterschool Alliance), and Pedro Noguera (UCLA), who served as our narrator. State leaders included Bonnie Reiss (USC), Brian Lee (Fight Crime - Invest in Kids), Jennifer Peck (Partnership for Children and Youth), and Sylvia Yee (formerly of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund). We also included interviews with youth, and local program and technical assistance leaders.
How can people use and/or promote the free History of Afterschool in America documentary?
There are several ways that people can get involved. Below are some ideas:
- Donate: You can donate to the How Kids Learn Foundation. All donations will be used to support our campaign to promote this documentary.
- Host a viewing: Serve as a “history ambassador” by showing this documentary to interested audiences and facilitate discussion questions (which can be found in the Learning Guide).
- Trailer: Build awareness of this documentary by showing the 2.5 minute trailer at conferences and other gatherings of afterschool stakeholders.
- Staff development: This documentary is an excellent resource to orient and train new and existing program staff.
- Higher education: Instructors can show this documentary to students who are studying to enter a career working with youth.
- Newsletters and social media: Organizations and individuals can promote awareness of this resource through their newsletters and social networks. Samples can be found below.
- Distribute postcards: We have printed 5x7 postcards, which can be distributed to afterschool stakeholders. Contact Temescal Associates if you would like a stack mailed to you.
Are there tools to assist those who want to use or promote this documentary?
We have developed a media kit and learning guide for this purpose. The learning guide includes activities and discussion questions. This guide also includes a list of keywords and their definitions, and a historical timeline. The media kit includes information on the documentary such as an FAQ and sample text for use in newsletters, social media posts, etc.
How can people view and access the full documentary, trailer, and additional documentary tools?
These can be downloaded for free. The documentary can also be purchased on DVD by contacting Temescal Associates.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
As a "lifer" in the field of afterschool and youth development, I am thrilled that Sam Piha and his colleagues have produced an engaging documentary that tracks the historical roots, richness and opportunities of the afterschool field.. The History of Afterschool should be required for all practitioners who seek a career in the field and for all college instructors and trainers who teach them. This documentary illuminates our shared history and undoubtedly will contribute to the professionalization of the afterschool field.
- Ellen S. Gannett, Senior Strategist, National Institute on Out-of-School Time,
Wellesley Centers for Women
The development of afterschool in America is the result of a movement. While much has been written about specific aspects of youth development, best practices in afterschool, training, and program development, we rarely step back and understand how we got here. If afterschool is going to be seen as a core part of every community, and is going to be adequately funded, we need to understand where we are in building this movement. I know of no other comparable set of resources. This is an important resource to our field, as we strive to move forward, but also to policymakers and the general public who will ultimately have to make decisions that help the afterschool movement reach its full potential.
- Margaret Brodkin, Founder/Director, Funding the Next Generation
We have developed a media kit and learning guide for this purpose. The learning guide includes activities and discussion questions. This guide also includes a list of keywords and their definitions, and a historical timeline. The media kit includes information on the documentary such as an FAQ and sample text for use in newsletters, social media posts, etc.
How can people view and access the full documentary, trailer, and additional documentary tools?
These can be downloaded for free. The documentary can also be purchased on DVD by contacting Temescal Associates.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
As a "lifer" in the field of afterschool and youth development, I am thrilled that Sam Piha and his colleagues have produced an engaging documentary that tracks the historical roots, richness and opportunities of the afterschool field.. The History of Afterschool should be required for all practitioners who seek a career in the field and for all college instructors and trainers who teach them. This documentary illuminates our shared history and undoubtedly will contribute to the professionalization of the afterschool field.
- Ellen S. Gannett, Senior Strategist, National Institute on Out-of-School Time,
Wellesley Centers for Women
The development of afterschool in America is the result of a movement. While much has been written about specific aspects of youth development, best practices in afterschool, training, and program development, we rarely step back and understand how we got here. If afterschool is going to be seen as a core part of every community, and is going to be adequately funded, we need to understand where we are in building this movement. I know of no other comparable set of resources. This is an important resource to our field, as we strive to move forward, but also to policymakers and the general public who will ultimately have to make decisions that help the afterschool movement reach its full potential.
- Margaret Brodkin, Founder/Director, Funding the Next Generation
SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS
Sample Photo/Tweets:
Sample Photo/Tweets:
History of Afterschool in America Documentary Released! Please help us spread the word. Access these free resources here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials #historyofafterschool @LearninginAS
"I had no idea that I belonged to something that has such a long and important history."
-Youth Worker. Download the #historyofafterschool in America documentary here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials @LearninginAS
Sample Instagram Photos/Captions:
"I had no idea that I belonged to something that has such a long and important history."
-Youth Worker. Download the #historyofafterschool in America documentary here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials @LearninginAS
Sample Instagram Photos/Captions:
History of Afterschool in America Documentary Released! Please help us spread the word. Access these free resources here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials #historyofafterschool @LiasProject
|
"I had no idea that I belonged to something that has such a long and important history." - Youth Worker.
Download the #historyofafterschool in America documentary here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials @LiasProject |
Sample Facebook Photo/Captions
History of Afterschool in America Documentary Released! Please help us spread the word. Access these free resources here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials #historyofafterschool @LearninginAfterschool
"I had no idea that I belonged to something that has such a long and important history." - Youth Worker
Download the #historyofafterschool in America documentary here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials @LearninginAfterschool
"I had no idea that I belonged to something that has such a long and important history." - Youth Worker
Download the #historyofafterschool in America documentary here: http://bit.ly/HXmaterials @LearninginAfterschool
Sample newsletter announcement:
History of Afterschool In America Documentary Released!Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation recently completed a 60-minute documentary on the history of afterschool. This documentary has been broken into 12 chapters (ranging from 2 – 15 minutes in length). It includes interviews with 15 afterschool leaders, historical imagery, and narration by Pedro Noguera. Check it out here! In addition to the Media Kit, which provides detailed information, they also developed a Learning Guide to support the viewing of this documentary.
Sample news story (607 words)
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. This has been driven by a family need for afterschool supervision of youth as well as the need for youth to have expanded learning opportunities. Over 10 million kids across the country are participating in afterschool programs. This figure does not include summer learning programs.
Afterschool programs employ over 550,000 workers. Few of these workers or other afterschool stakeholders are aware that afterschool has been around for a long time or of the important contributions that afterschool programs have made, dating back to the early 1900s.
“Due to the large public and private investments, afterschool has greatly expanded and becoming its own field. It is important to document, share, and celebrate our history with others. Think of education, social work, and medicine – each has a documented history. We have a growing body of literature and research, but can do more to fully document our history in America.”
- Sam Piha, Founder and Co-Director, Temescal Associates
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation have created a video to document this history. The intended audience includes afterschool staff and their stakeholders, older youth, and adults in higher education studying for a career working with young people (education, social work, leisure studies, child and adolescent development, etc.).
In this documentary, they attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. They also examine the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
The documentary includes interviews with leaders at the national, state, and local levels. National leaders include Karen Pittman (Forum for Youth Investment), Ellen Gannett (NIOST), Robert Granger (formerly WT Grant Foundation), Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Jodi Grant (Afterschool Alliance), and Pedro Noguera (UCLA), who served as the narrator. State leaders include Bonnie Reiss (USC), Brian Lee (Fight Crime - Invest in Kids), Jennifer Peck (Partnership for Children and Youth), and Sylvia Yee (formerly of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund). They also include interviews with youth, and local program and technical assistance leaders.
The 60-minute documentary is broken into 12 brief chapters. This allows the flexibility to select those chapters that are most relevant to the audience. Chapters 1 through 3 examine the social upheaval beginning in the late 1800s, which served as the pre-conditions for the early afterschool movement. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the growing need for child supervision, leading to the playground movement and the rise of afterschool youth programs. Chapters 6 through 12 look at the milestones and events that gave rise to the modern and greatly expanded afterschool movement we see today, and important program concepts and trends.
There are several ways that people can get involved. Below are some ideas:
RESEARCH INTERVIEWEES (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles (Narrator)
Pedro Noguera is Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences at UCLA. His research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts.
Ellen Gannett, National Institute on Out-of-School Time
Ellen S. Gannett is director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. A national action/research project, NIOST has provided research, evaluation, technical assistance, consultation, and specialized training on afterschool programs throughout the United States for more than 35 years.
Gordon Alexandre, Glendale Community College
Gordon Alexandre taught U.S. history and political science at Glendale Community College (outside Los Angeles) from 1985 to 2015. His main area of interest was on social reform movements of the Twentieth Century. Since retiring in 2015, Gordon has delivered several lectures to graduate students at Antioch University on “Trumpism: A Historical Perspective” and “Student Protest Movements: 1968 to 2018".
Jane Quinn, Children’s Aid Society
Jane Quinn is Vice President of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) and Director of National Center for Community Schools. Earlier in her career, she directed a national study of youth organizations for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which resulted in the publication of a book entitled A Matter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in the Non-school Hours.
Karen Pittman, Forum For Youth Investment
Karen has made a career of starting organizations and initiatives that promote youth development – including the Forum for Youth Investment (FYI), which she co-founded in 1998. Prior to co-founding Forum FYI, Ms. Pittman worked on behalf of several organizations including the Children’s Defense Fund. In 1995 Karen joined the Clinton administration as director of the President’s Crime Prevention Council.
Robert Granger, Formerly at W.T. Grant Foundation
Robert Granger served as the president of the William T. Grant Foundation (WTGF) from 2003 until his retirement in September 2013. Before joining the WTGF, Granger served as senior vice president of the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization dedicated to learning what works to improve programs and policies that affect the poor. Granger also chaired the National Board for Education Sciences.
An-Me Chung, The Mozilla Foundation
At the time of the filming, An-Me Chung was Chief of Partnerships and Policy at the Mozilla Foundation. Previously, she served as associate director of education for U.S. Programs at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Earlier in her career, she served as a program officer at the C.S. Mott Foundation, where she focused on supporting young people with optimal opportunities for learning and enrichment beyond the traditional classroom.
Brian Lee, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
In 2000, Brian Lee helped found the California office of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, where he now serves as State Director. Brian has led efforts to win investments and policy changes in after-school programs, early education, juvenile justice interventions, college and career readiness, dropout prevention, and school discipline reform. He has authored and co-authored over a dozen reports on these issues.
Terry Peterson, C.S. Mott Foundation and Afterschool Alliance
Terry K. Peterson is an Education Consultant at the C.S. Mott Foundation and
National Board Chair for the Afterschool Alliance. Dr. Peterson served as the chief education advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education for eight years, where he helped develop education improvement strategies, such as Advanced Placement, E-Rate, 21st Century Community Learning Center, and teacher quality initiatives.
Deborah Lowe Vandell, University of California, Irvine
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Ph.D., is the Founding Dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, where she is a Professor of Education and of Psychology and Social Behavior. The author of more than one hundred fifty articles and three books, Dr. Vandell studies the effects of afterschool and summer programs on children's academic, social, and behavioral development.
Sylvia Yee, Formerly at Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Sylvia Yee, former Vice President of Programs at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, started her career as a high school teacher. She moved on to administer educational programs at the elementary, secondary, and university levels in the United States and in China.
Margaret Brodkin, Brodkin & Associates
Margaret Brodkin is a nationally recognized children’s advocate and policy pioneer and known as the “Mother of the San Francisco Children’s Fund,” a multi-million dollar annual fund that made San Francisco the first city in the country to provide local dedicated funding for children. She is currently Founder and Director of Funding the Next Generation.
Joe Hudson, Alameda County Office of Education
Joe Hudson is currently the Region 4 Lead & Program Manager for Before and Afterschool Programs. He coordinates and provides technical assistance and training for seven San Francisco Bay Area counties and more than 500 after school program sites.
Bonnie Reiss (1955 - 2018), USC Schwarzenegger Institute
Bonnie Reiss, who passed away after we recorded her interview, led a remarkable life, with a career that included ground-breaking accomplishments. While Bonnie’s background and experience was diverse, her primary expertise and focus was in the areas of education, environment, health and wellness and issues that impact women and children. Most recently she served as California Secretary of Education and on the University of California Board of Regents. She also served as the Global Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.
Carol M. Tang, Children’s Creativity Museum, San Francisco
Carol M. Tang, Ph.D., Executive Director, Children’s Creativity Museum
Dr. Tang is the former Director of the Coalition for Science After School. She is experienced in non-profit management, strategic planning, envisioning, meeting facilitation, team building, fundraising and public speaking. She also has extensive experience in teaching, organizing, and leading science education efforts.
Jennifer Peck, Partnership for Children and Youth
Jennifer Peck is a founding staff member of the Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY), joining in 2001 and becoming the executive director in 2003. Since then, she has developed and implemented initiatives to finance and build after school and summer learning programs, and increase access to school meals and nutrition education programs in the Bay Area’s lowest-income communities.
Jamie Lopez, East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)
Jamie Lopez served as Deputy Director of Elementary Schools for EBAYC, where she led the design, implementation and continuous improvement of eight after school programs and chronic absence reduction campaigns and family case management at four schools.
Shawn Ginwright, San Francisco State University
Dr. Ginwright is Associate Professor of Education in the Africana Studies Department at SFSU and is a leading national expert on African American youth, youth activism, and youth development. He founded Leadership Excellence Inc. an innovative youth development agency located in Oakland, California that trains African American youth to address pressing social and community problems.
Lynn Johnson, Spotlight: Girls
Lynn Johnson is a social entrepreneur, theater teaching artist, and girl advocate dedicated to igniting a compassion revolution through theater and expressive arts. She is the Co-Founder/CEO of Glitter & Razz Productions LLC based in Oakland, CA. Glitter & Razz produces Go Girls! Camp. Lynn is an expert on the topics of OST and youth development, gender and racial equity, and theater as an intervention for young people.
Ashanti Branch, Ever Forward Club
Ashanti Branch is Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club, dedicated to working with young men of color and how they interact with their education. Raised in Oakland, Ashanti later taught high school math, where he realized his passion to provide support for African American and Latino males who were not achieving to their potential.
Jodi Grant, Afterschool Alliance
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. As the Executive Director, Jodi oversees all aspects of the Afterschool Alliance’s work, including supervising research, and creating and expanding quality afterschool programs.
Research Interviewees (Not Shown):
Carla Sanger, Formerly at LA’s BEST
From 1988 to 2015, Carla Sanger, M.Ed., served as president and chief executive officer of LA's BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) After School Enrichment Program.
Carla has been a specialist in children's education policy and advocacy in both the public and private sector. She served as executive director of LA Child Care & Development Council, president of the California Children's Council, and co-chair of the California State Department of Education Task Force on School Readiness.
Gil Noam, The PEAR Institute
Gil Noam, Ed.D., is the founder and director of The PEAR Institute: Partnerships in Education and Resilience at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. He is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He served as the director of the Risk and Prevention Program and is the founder of the RALLY Prevention Program. He serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal New Directions for Youth Development: Theory, Practice and Research with a strong focus on out-of-school time.
History of Afterschool In America Documentary Released!Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation recently completed a 60-minute documentary on the history of afterschool. This documentary has been broken into 12 chapters (ranging from 2 – 15 minutes in length). It includes interviews with 15 afterschool leaders, historical imagery, and narration by Pedro Noguera. Check it out here! In addition to the Media Kit, which provides detailed information, they also developed a Learning Guide to support the viewing of this documentary.
Sample news story (607 words)
Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape. This has been driven by a family need for afterschool supervision of youth as well as the need for youth to have expanded learning opportunities. Over 10 million kids across the country are participating in afterschool programs. This figure does not include summer learning programs.
Afterschool programs employ over 550,000 workers. Few of these workers or other afterschool stakeholders are aware that afterschool has been around for a long time or of the important contributions that afterschool programs have made, dating back to the early 1900s.
“Due to the large public and private investments, afterschool has greatly expanded and becoming its own field. It is important to document, share, and celebrate our history with others. Think of education, social work, and medicine – each has a documented history. We have a growing body of literature and research, but can do more to fully document our history in America.”
- Sam Piha, Founder and Co-Director, Temescal Associates
To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation have created a video to document this history. The intended audience includes afterschool staff and their stakeholders, older youth, and adults in higher education studying for a career working with young people (education, social work, leisure studies, child and adolescent development, etc.).
In this documentary, they attempt to tell the full story of the history of afterschool, it’s important role as a unique institution serving low-income youth. They also examine the contemporary afterschool field, and look to the future of afterschool programs.
The documentary includes interviews with leaders at the national, state, and local levels. National leaders include Karen Pittman (Forum for Youth Investment), Ellen Gannett (NIOST), Robert Granger (formerly WT Grant Foundation), Terry Peterson (Afterschool Alliance), Jodi Grant (Afterschool Alliance), and Pedro Noguera (UCLA), who served as the narrator. State leaders include Bonnie Reiss (USC), Brian Lee (Fight Crime - Invest in Kids), Jennifer Peck (Partnership for Children and Youth), and Sylvia Yee (formerly of the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund). They also include interviews with youth, and local program and technical assistance leaders.
The 60-minute documentary is broken into 12 brief chapters. This allows the flexibility to select those chapters that are most relevant to the audience. Chapters 1 through 3 examine the social upheaval beginning in the late 1800s, which served as the pre-conditions for the early afterschool movement. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the growing need for child supervision, leading to the playground movement and the rise of afterschool youth programs. Chapters 6 through 12 look at the milestones and events that gave rise to the modern and greatly expanded afterschool movement we see today, and important program concepts and trends.
There are several ways that people can get involved. Below are some ideas:
- Donate: You can donate to the How Kids Learn Foundation. All donations will be used to support our campaign to promote this documentary.
- Host a viewing: Serve as a “history ambassador” by showing this documentary to interested audiences and facilitate discussion questions (which can be found in the Learning Guide).
- Trailer: Build awareness of this documentary by showing the 2.5 minute trailer at conferences and other gatherings of afterschool stakeholders.
- Staff development: This documentary is an excellent resource to orient and train new and existing program staff.
- Newsletters and social media: Organizations and individuals can promote awareness of this resource through their newsletters and social networks. Samples can be found below.
- Higher education: Instructors can show this documentary to students who are studying to enter a career working with youth.
RESEARCH INTERVIEWEES (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
Pedro Noguera, University of California, Los Angeles (Narrator)
Pedro Noguera is Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Sciences at UCLA. His research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts.
Ellen Gannett, National Institute on Out-of-School Time
Ellen S. Gannett is director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. A national action/research project, NIOST has provided research, evaluation, technical assistance, consultation, and specialized training on afterschool programs throughout the United States for more than 35 years.
Gordon Alexandre, Glendale Community College
Gordon Alexandre taught U.S. history and political science at Glendale Community College (outside Los Angeles) from 1985 to 2015. His main area of interest was on social reform movements of the Twentieth Century. Since retiring in 2015, Gordon has delivered several lectures to graduate students at Antioch University on “Trumpism: A Historical Perspective” and “Student Protest Movements: 1968 to 2018".
Jane Quinn, Children’s Aid Society
Jane Quinn is Vice President of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) and Director of National Center for Community Schools. Earlier in her career, she directed a national study of youth organizations for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which resulted in the publication of a book entitled A Matter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in the Non-school Hours.
Karen Pittman, Forum For Youth Investment
Karen has made a career of starting organizations and initiatives that promote youth development – including the Forum for Youth Investment (FYI), which she co-founded in 1998. Prior to co-founding Forum FYI, Ms. Pittman worked on behalf of several organizations including the Children’s Defense Fund. In 1995 Karen joined the Clinton administration as director of the President’s Crime Prevention Council.
Robert Granger, Formerly at W.T. Grant Foundation
Robert Granger served as the president of the William T. Grant Foundation (WTGF) from 2003 until his retirement in September 2013. Before joining the WTGF, Granger served as senior vice president of the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization dedicated to learning what works to improve programs and policies that affect the poor. Granger also chaired the National Board for Education Sciences.
An-Me Chung, The Mozilla Foundation
At the time of the filming, An-Me Chung was Chief of Partnerships and Policy at the Mozilla Foundation. Previously, she served as associate director of education for U.S. Programs at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Earlier in her career, she served as a program officer at the C.S. Mott Foundation, where she focused on supporting young people with optimal opportunities for learning and enrichment beyond the traditional classroom.
Brian Lee, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
In 2000, Brian Lee helped found the California office of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, where he now serves as State Director. Brian has led efforts to win investments and policy changes in after-school programs, early education, juvenile justice interventions, college and career readiness, dropout prevention, and school discipline reform. He has authored and co-authored over a dozen reports on these issues.
Terry Peterson, C.S. Mott Foundation and Afterschool Alliance
Terry K. Peterson is an Education Consultant at the C.S. Mott Foundation and
National Board Chair for the Afterschool Alliance. Dr. Peterson served as the chief education advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education for eight years, where he helped develop education improvement strategies, such as Advanced Placement, E-Rate, 21st Century Community Learning Center, and teacher quality initiatives.
Deborah Lowe Vandell, University of California, Irvine
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Ph.D., is the Founding Dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, where she is a Professor of Education and of Psychology and Social Behavior. The author of more than one hundred fifty articles and three books, Dr. Vandell studies the effects of afterschool and summer programs on children's academic, social, and behavioral development.
Sylvia Yee, Formerly at Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Sylvia Yee, former Vice President of Programs at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, started her career as a high school teacher. She moved on to administer educational programs at the elementary, secondary, and university levels in the United States and in China.
Margaret Brodkin, Brodkin & Associates
Margaret Brodkin is a nationally recognized children’s advocate and policy pioneer and known as the “Mother of the San Francisco Children’s Fund,” a multi-million dollar annual fund that made San Francisco the first city in the country to provide local dedicated funding for children. She is currently Founder and Director of Funding the Next Generation.
Joe Hudson, Alameda County Office of Education
Joe Hudson is currently the Region 4 Lead & Program Manager for Before and Afterschool Programs. He coordinates and provides technical assistance and training for seven San Francisco Bay Area counties and more than 500 after school program sites.
Bonnie Reiss (1955 - 2018), USC Schwarzenegger Institute
Bonnie Reiss, who passed away after we recorded her interview, led a remarkable life, with a career that included ground-breaking accomplishments. While Bonnie’s background and experience was diverse, her primary expertise and focus was in the areas of education, environment, health and wellness and issues that impact women and children. Most recently she served as California Secretary of Education and on the University of California Board of Regents. She also served as the Global Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute.
Carol M. Tang, Children’s Creativity Museum, San Francisco
Carol M. Tang, Ph.D., Executive Director, Children’s Creativity Museum
Dr. Tang is the former Director of the Coalition for Science After School. She is experienced in non-profit management, strategic planning, envisioning, meeting facilitation, team building, fundraising and public speaking. She also has extensive experience in teaching, organizing, and leading science education efforts.
Jennifer Peck, Partnership for Children and Youth
Jennifer Peck is a founding staff member of the Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY), joining in 2001 and becoming the executive director in 2003. Since then, she has developed and implemented initiatives to finance and build after school and summer learning programs, and increase access to school meals and nutrition education programs in the Bay Area’s lowest-income communities.
Jamie Lopez, East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)
Jamie Lopez served as Deputy Director of Elementary Schools for EBAYC, where she led the design, implementation and continuous improvement of eight after school programs and chronic absence reduction campaigns and family case management at four schools.
Shawn Ginwright, San Francisco State University
Dr. Ginwright is Associate Professor of Education in the Africana Studies Department at SFSU and is a leading national expert on African American youth, youth activism, and youth development. He founded Leadership Excellence Inc. an innovative youth development agency located in Oakland, California that trains African American youth to address pressing social and community problems.
Lynn Johnson, Spotlight: Girls
Lynn Johnson is a social entrepreneur, theater teaching artist, and girl advocate dedicated to igniting a compassion revolution through theater and expressive arts. She is the Co-Founder/CEO of Glitter & Razz Productions LLC based in Oakland, CA. Glitter & Razz produces Go Girls! Camp. Lynn is an expert on the topics of OST and youth development, gender and racial equity, and theater as an intervention for young people.
Ashanti Branch, Ever Forward Club
Ashanti Branch is Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club, dedicated to working with young men of color and how they interact with their education. Raised in Oakland, Ashanti later taught high school math, where he realized his passion to provide support for African American and Latino males who were not achieving to their potential.
Jodi Grant, Afterschool Alliance
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. As the Executive Director, Jodi oversees all aspects of the Afterschool Alliance’s work, including supervising research, and creating and expanding quality afterschool programs.
Research Interviewees (Not Shown):
Carla Sanger, Formerly at LA’s BEST
From 1988 to 2015, Carla Sanger, M.Ed., served as president and chief executive officer of LA's BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) After School Enrichment Program.
Carla has been a specialist in children's education policy and advocacy in both the public and private sector. She served as executive director of LA Child Care & Development Council, president of the California Children's Council, and co-chair of the California State Department of Education Task Force on School Readiness.
Gil Noam, The PEAR Institute
Gil Noam, Ed.D., is the founder and director of The PEAR Institute: Partnerships in Education and Resilience at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. He is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He served as the director of the Risk and Prevention Program and is the founder of the RALLY Prevention Program. He serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal New Directions for Youth Development: Theory, Practice and Research with a strong focus on out-of-school time.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Temescal Associates (www.temescalassociates.com) and The HKL Foundation (www.howkidslearn.org), a 501(c)(3) organization, are dedicated to improving the effectiveness of settings that support the education and healthy development of youth. This includes schools and out-of-school time programs. Activities include conferences, speaker forums, screenings of relevant films, training sessions, coaching sessions, the awarding of digital badges to acknowledge exemplar programs and the learning that happens within these settings. Our clients include leaders of youth serving institutions and organizations, school and youth program practitioners, public and private funders, intermediary organizations, and policy makers. Their work ranges from building large-scale youth and community initiatives to providing services to young people on a day-to-day basis.
Sam Piha
Sam Piha is the founder and principal of Temescal Associates. Sam began his career in 1974 as an afterschool worker, an experience that led to 10 years of classroom teaching, and later work as a child and family counselor and school social worker. Between 1989 and 2005, Sam developed and managed school-based youth programs at the regional and national levels, including the San Francisco Beacon Initiative. As a staff member of the Community Network for Youth Development, he served on several key state committees and joined with others to build a state-wide system of support for new programs, aligning state afterschool policies with youth development principles. He also supported the launch of the state’s After School Safety and Education for Teens, a large state-wide high school afterschool initiative.
Sam has served as editor and contributing author of several important practice guides and journal articles on afterschool programming. In 2010, Sam received an Innovation in High School After School Leadership and Vision award from the California AfterSchool Network. In 2014, he was named by the National Afterschool Association as one of the nation’s Top 25 Most Influential People in Afterschool. Sam holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the father of Max.
Sam Piha is the founder and principal of Temescal Associates. Sam began his career in 1974 as an afterschool worker, an experience that led to 10 years of classroom teaching, and later work as a child and family counselor and school social worker. Between 1989 and 2005, Sam developed and managed school-based youth programs at the regional and national levels, including the San Francisco Beacon Initiative. As a staff member of the Community Network for Youth Development, he served on several key state committees and joined with others to build a state-wide system of support for new programs, aligning state afterschool policies with youth development principles. He also supported the launch of the state’s After School Safety and Education for Teens, a large state-wide high school afterschool initiative.
Sam has served as editor and contributing author of several important practice guides and journal articles on afterschool programming. In 2010, Sam received an Innovation in High School After School Leadership and Vision award from the California AfterSchool Network. In 2014, he was named by the National Afterschool Association as one of the nation’s Top 25 Most Influential People in Afterschool. Sam holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the father of Max.
Change Agent Productions
Change Agent Productions (CAP) was a vital partner in the development of the History of Afterschool documentary. CAP, a program of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, is a social enterprise comprised of professional digital media artists who work alongside urban youth to create professional video productions, graphic design projects and digital media trainings with attention to detail, quality, creativity and promptness.
Change Agent Productions (CAP) was a vital partner in the development of the History of Afterschool documentary. CAP, a program of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, is a social enterprise comprised of professional digital media artists who work alongside urban youth to create professional video productions, graphic design projects and digital media trainings with attention to detail, quality, creativity and promptness.
CO–SPONSORS
Efforts to raise awareness of the History of Afterschool documentary is supported by several organizations listed below.
Efforts to raise awareness of the History of Afterschool documentary is supported by several organizations listed below.
Cityspan is a leading cloud-based provider of data management systems for tracking social service programs, funding, and outcomes. For more than 15 years, we’ve helped schools, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations design and apply field-friendly tools that streamline workflows, demonstrate accountability, and drive analyses for improved performance. Working with you, we fit our technology to your organizational objectives, funding requirements, and data priorities.
EduCare Foundation’s mission is to inspire and empower young people to become responsible citizens, compassionate leaders, and to live their dreams. They accomplish this through the sponsorship and management of afterschool programs, as well as training workshops for youth, educators, and parents.
The California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC) builds professional networks that provide training, leadership development and advocacy to ensure that all young people have access to high quality out-of-school time programs and to create a more equitable future for California.
