The Afterschool Alliance has created a wiki page with current information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Continue to check this website for up-to-date information on stimulus dollars and ideas on how afterschool programs can benefit.

The outline of agencies receiving ARRA dollars in detail, as well as other resources concerning the ARRA, is located on our Effective Practices page, under Funding and Sustainability.


 Updates:
Grants.gov
In response to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or Recovery Act, Grant-making agencies are posting Recovery Act specific grant opportunities on Grants.gov. Visit to find out more.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Community Stimulus Dollars (and Jobs!)
An important report released by PolicyLink to assist communities in accessing federal stimulus funding: Finding Work, Finding Hope: A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Community Stimulus Dollars (and Jobs!). PolicyLink’s report lays out a short-term roadmap to help communities access federal stimulus dollars. The guide provides phone numbers, websites, application links, and a lot of information you’ll need to get stimulus dollars to your community.  Though not necessarily focused on afterschool or youth services specifically, the report’s emphasis on healthy communities, school facilities and programs, economic development, and housing and community development are very relevant to our work.


Uses of Funds for Title I and IDEA
Information and guidance may be found on the US Dept. of Education Recovery Website.
Title I ARRA funds may be used to support a variety of extended learning time opportunities for both students and teachers consistent with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. These opportunities include —

• Before- and after-school programs;
• Saturday school and summer school;
• Extending half-day kindergarten to a full day;
• Extending the school year, but only in schools operating schoolwide programs;
• Extending learning opportunities during the school day, such as by adding more time for core academic subjects in a schoolwide program; and
• Adding time during the day for teachers to plan collaboratively.

The ESEA specifically promotes the use of instructional strategies that increase the amount and quality of learning time. Consistent with these statutory requirements, Title I, Part A ARRA funds may be used to support extended learning time opportunities for all students and teachers in Title I schools operating schoolwide programs and for those students identified as most at risk of failing to meet the State’s academic achievement standards and their teachers in Title I schools operating targeted assistance programs. An LEA generally may not use Title I, Part A ARRA funds to pay for extended learning time in Title I schools while also using non-Title I funds to support extended learning time in non-Title schools. However, an LEA that wants to provide extended learning time programs for only low-achieving students in both its Title I and non-Title schools may be able to do so. Further, an LEA or school that wants to provide extended learning time services that include both academic and non-academic enrichment activities may want to consider using Title I ARRA funds, as appropriate, for the academic component and partnering with community organizations to provide the non-academic activities. 


Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation Grants Programs
$5 billion has been set aside for competitive grants in the ARRA pool of funds. $4 billion is for Race to the Top grants, which will be awarded to states based on the achievement of four assurances outlined by the Department of Education:
--Make progress to enact college and career readiness
--Build statewide data systems
--Make improvements in teacher effectiveness and increase access to effective teachers for all students
--Support low-performing schools

Learning Point Associates has an excellent summary of the Race to the Top funds. This summary includes priorities, requirements, selection criteria, and definitions.

Guidance with the Race to the Top funds explicitly mention afterschool or expanded learning opportunities as viable interventions to help turn around struggling schools. A state can give schools the flexibility to expand student learning time or create school transformation plans that include extending learning time and community-oriented supports, more time for students to learn and for teachers to collaborate, more time for enrichment activities, and on-going mechanisms for family and community engagement.

Another $350 million is for a separate Race to the Top Standards and Assessment competition related to developing rigorous assessments to support new common academic standards being developed by states.

The remaining $650 million is for the Investing in Innovation Grants program and will be awarded to school districts, nonprofits and other similar entities for closing the achievement gap. These funds are the best way for nonprofits and other entities outside the traditional school system to pursue ARRA dollars. Partnerships with schools are more likely to be rewarded. For more information, visit the DOE website.

Timeline
Department of Education officials say that guidance on the Innovation funds will most likely come after Race to the Top funds are released. States are getting ready to apply for Race to the Top funds now. Applications and funds will be going out in two phases, one in January 2010, and then another in June 2010. Keep in mind that 75% of the funding will go out during the first phase. Guidance for the Invest in Innovation grants will probably be out around March 2010. The Afterschool Alliance also heard that there is an interest in supporting rural communities with these funds.

NC CAP Conference Call - ARRA and Implications for Afterschool
Thanks to everyone who participated in the call on July 16! We learned about some great information from our panel of speakers and were able to share resources and ideas with each other. You will find highlights from the call, along with handouts from the speakers, on our Effective Practices page, under NC CAP Event Materials.

If you haven't already, be sure to sign up for the NC Afterschool Listserv. This is a great way to share what we have learned about the stimulus package, updates and announcements, funding opportunities and ideas about sustainability. To join, click here.  

NC CAP asks that you keep us notified about any new developments, or any funding attempts through the ARRA in order to share ideas across the state.  We can also research any questions or topics – let us know how we can help you!

Helpful Websites mentioned on the call:
Recovery Act Funding Opportunities from Grants.gov
NC Recovery Page
Recovery Act Funding Opportunities from Afterschool.gov
National Center for Summer Learning
NC Dept of Public Instruction’s Title I Program
NC Dept of Commerce Workforce Youth Services
Afterschool Alliance Wiki Page
Afterschool Alliance Policy & Action Center


Office of the Economic Recovery and Investment:

Economic Recovery Workshops held throughout NC
Office of Economic Recovery and Investment Director Dempsey Benton led six informational workshops concerning the Economic Recovery around NC. Representatives from the state agencies administering economic recovery funds in North Carolina explained what has been happening with the funds thus far, what is coming up, and how to participate in the process. The workshops were held in Winston-Salem, Clyde, Kinston, Raleigh, Wilmington and Charlotte. For more information and press releases, visit the NC Recovery website.


Preparing to Take Advantage of New Programs in the Economic Stimulus Package - Considerations for Out-of-School Time Providers and Stakeholders

The Finance Project is pleased to share a new resource: Preparing to Take Advantage of New Programs in the Economic Stimulus Package: Considerations for Out-of-School Time Providers and Stakeholders.

This funding brief offers a summary of key opportunities for funding afterschool programs in the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and offers advice for afterschool program leaders and directors on how to best position their organization so it is poised to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

The brief may be downloaded from the Finance Project's website.

Stimulus Guidelines
Government guidance issued for state and local use of federal stimulus dollars offers new opportunities for afterschool programs to secure much needed funding. In particular, the Department of Education's guidance on Title I funding indicates that school districts may apply for waivers to Supplemental Education Services (SES) requirements, allowing school systems greater flexibility in supporting afterschool programs with stimulus dollars.

The guidance, issued by the Department of Education on March 6, describes the process by which stimulus dollars will be divided among the states, how states secure their share of the funding, and the types of expenditures suitable for stimulus funds. The guidance specifically cites afterschool programs as one of several possible programs eligible for the $13 billion appropriated for Title I funding.

The guidance goes on to indicate that local education agencies (LEAs) will be allowed to seek waivers from current SES requirements. The SES program requires school systems to provide parents of children in schools that have not met state student achievement targets with a list of local programs that would provide tutoring and other academic support. That list may include afterschool programs.

With a waiver, school districts could be allowed to use those funds to support other programs consistent with the overall objective of increasing academic achievement of low-income children. That might include more funding for afterschool programs, if districts so choose.

But the waiver mechanism raises concerns, as well. In a joint letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Program Officer An-Me Chung, Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant, George Lucas Educational Foundation Executive Director Milton Chen, and Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, write: "The supplemental educational services (SES) set-aside is an important strategy for school improvement and expanding learning opportunities for the lowest-achieving students. While we believe that that program should be improved and expanded during the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we also believe services should continue in the meantime. By allowing waivers for SES, districts are being let off the hook from providing the lowest achieving students critical services outside of the school day.... In instances where SES waivers are provided, they should only be done with documentation of how the LEA will otherwise use its Title I American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [stimulus] funds to provide afterschool and summer learning opportunities in the district."

Several distinct funding streams in the stimulus package offer help to afterschool programs. They include a new State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF), additional funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) program, and more.

To further this, the Department of Education just released guidelines that urge afterschool and extended learning time:

Recovery Act Guidelines Urge Afterschool and Summer Learning Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Education recently released recommendations to states and school districts on using federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds to extend learning time for students, including expanding afterschool and summer learning programs in conjunction with existing community providers.   

Suggested recommendations include:

•  Expanding afterschool and summer learning programs for two years in conjunction with existing community providers to provide more time for learning, including one-on-one and small group instruction, opportunities for service, internships, the arts, and other activities that both enrich the curriculum and address the specific needs of low-performing students.
• Adding time to the school day and year for core academics, enrichment, and staff collaboration.
• Creating summer programs to prepare students to be successful in gateway courses, such as algebra and Advanced Placement classes.
• Supporting community schools that offer art, reading clubs, and other academic enrichment while also engaging community, social service, and health organizations to better serve students and their families.
• Strengthening career and college preparation.
• Investing in studies and reviews that can strengthen programs over time.
• The full paper can be found on the Department's website. Click on the Using ARRA Funds to Drive School Reform and Improvement.

Youth Today
Youth Today has posted the latest information about how organizations can apply for the various streams of funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This posting will be updated as more information becomes available in the coming days and weeks. Go to Stimulus Funds and Youth Work.

Youth Today also posted an article about President Obama's 2010 budget, and summarized the growth of and cuts to youth programs.

The implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will shape future federal policy.  Broad education reform efforts included in the bill, such as teacher quality and data collection, provide an opening for conversations with school leaders about linkages between afterschool and the school day.