Advocating for YOUR After School Program

Political activism is important to many after school programs! Local and state level politicians make countless decisions that impact after school providers and the families they serve. It’s crucial that legislators make these decisions based on good information, and the best way to ensure that is to personally contact them. Call or email your local Senator, Representative or Mayor, and if possible, invite them out to see your program in action! Now is an EXCELLENT TIME FOR SITE VISITS! The state legislative session doesn’t start until early January 2011, so the timing is perfect to call them now to ask them to visit your program.

STEP 1: Talk to your colleagues about setting up a site visit for state and local elected officials. The Afterschool Alliance has a great page on How to prepare for a site visit here. While their advice was written for Congressional visits, it also applies to Connecticut State Representatives and State Senators. Many of us work in towns different than where we vote, so we’ve posted information on how to find contact information for elected officials on our Web site, which you can access here.

STEP 2: Plan an activity with your students to send the new governor a photograph of all the kids with a congratulations card they make and sign. The new governor, Dannel Malloy, will take office on January 5, 2011. Plan now to have your students send him a giant card with a photo of all of them congratulating him. You can mail it to him here:

277 Ocean Drive East
Stamford, CT   06902-8219

STEP 3: Plan to attend After School Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. Is it during school vacation week? Can you plan to bring students and families with you? If not, would you like to ask all of your parents to sign a letter you can bring with you on to the Capitol? Call the Network if you need ideas or help planning. (860) 730-2941.

STEP 4: Stay informed with the Connecticut After School Network. Get the Network’s email blasts! If you aren’t currently receiving two or three emails a week from the Network, you’re spam filter may be blocking them.

Here are my favorite Web sites for staying informed:
After school in Connecticut: www.ctafterschoolnetwork.org
Afterschool nationally: www.afterschoolalliance.org  
Connecticut politics (latest news): www.ctcapitolreport.com
Connecticut news: www.ctnewsjunkie.com and www.ctmirror.org

STEP 5: Plan ahead to join the Network’s staff in Washington, D. C. May 16 - 17, 2011 to visit our National Senators and Representatives with 2,500 other after school leaders from across the country to talk about after school issues. Network staff will accompany small teams to hill visits next spring, called the Afterschool for All Challenge. Subscribe to the Afterschool Alliance’s newsletter to get information about this event, and check their Web site well in advance to register and reserve your hotel room. Call Michelle Doucette Cunningham if you have questions (860) 730-2941.

Remember – support for after school programs cuts across party lines. Everyone wants to see our children well cared for, inspired and safe during the hours that their parents are working when school is out and during the summer.  Eighty-three percent of voters agree that there should be some type of organized activity or safe place for children/teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities to learn – and politicians are taking note.


Michelle Doucette Cunningham is the Executive Director of the Connecticut After School Network