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Finding ways to measure and strengthen the performance of afterschool programs, particularly in areas of participants’ outcomes, was the focus of the first-ever After School Summit, held June 5 and 6 in Washington D.C.

Secretary of Education Rod Paige and actor and Honorary Chair of the Afterschool Alliance Arnold Schwarzenegger listen to comments from Mott President and CEO William S. White.

The summit offered parents, students, educators, researchers and providers the opportunity to discuss how afterschool programs can better serve the nation’s youth, including identifying effective program components and evaluation measures. The event was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education and actor and Honorary Chair of the Afterschool Alliance Arnold Schwarzenegger, and sponsored by the C.S. Mott Foundation. Featured speakers included Schwarzenegger; Secretary of Education Rod Paige; Assistant to the President, Office of Domestic Policy Margaret Spelling; and Mott President and CEO William S. White.

"While we know that there are some good afterschool programs, we also know that there are not enough of them," Paige told attendees.

"I see this summit as just a first step in an ongoing process … to identify and support quality afterschool programs that help develop young people."

Mott's longstanding support of afterschool programs includes $66,361,923 for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative and other major afterschool initiatives.

The program – created in 1998 through a unique partnership with the U.S. Department of Education – currently provides hundreds of thousands of children around the country, particularly the traditionally underserved, with afterschool learning opportunities.

Additional Resources

• Click here to view a .pdf of a report that provides more details on the Summit.
• Click here to read a U.S. Department of Education media release on the summit.
• Click here to read a transcript of Secretary Paige’s remarks at the summit.
• Click here to read an Afterschool Alliance media release on the summit and access links to video clips from the event featuring Secretary Paige, Schwarzenegger and White.
• Click here to view a .pdf of a past issue of InFocus that offers an in-depth look at afterschool programs, including the 21st CCLC.