Mott’s annual report, including special section on afterschool,
now available online
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s new annual report, Picturing Success: The Transformative Power of Afterschool, which focuses on the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to increasing the availability and quality of afterschool programs, now is available online. A print version also is available in limited quantities, as is a reprint of the report’s special section on the impact of afterschool programs at sites across the country.
In his 2011 Annual Message, Foundation President and CEO William S. White emphasizes the importance of afterschool and extended learning programs in increasing the academic success of children and young people. Through afterschool programs, he notes, students have the chance to expand their horizons, attempt new things and become more engaged in learning.
The publication, which features on its cover and throughout it pages artwork created by children in afterschool programs in the Foundation’s home community of Genesee County, also includes a narrative section that showcases five afterschool programs across the country.
The Mott Foundation funded its first school-based recreational programs in Flint, Michigan in 1935 to keep children and families engaged in learning after school and during the summer. And for decades, that has remained the driving force behind the Mott Foundation’s continuing commitment to increasing the quality of afterschool programming and bringing it to scale in communities across the U.S.
More recently, in 1996, the Mott Foundation joined with the federal government in an innovative collaboration — the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program — aimed at putting afterschool programming within reach of any community across the nation willing to create community-school partnerships for the benefit of low-income students.
As a result of this collaboration, a proliferation of high-quality afterschool programs have emerged — each taking advantage of local resources that contribute to affordable, scalable and sustainable programming that increases the academic competency and social and physical well-being of children and young people.
The five afterschool programs highlighted in the annual report are, from east to west:
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STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities play a key role in Indiana's Safe Harbor afterschool program.
Photo: Rick Smith Photography
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Laconia, New Hampshire — Project EXTRA! (Enriching eXtensions To Raise Achievement), a K-12 afterschool program garnering increasing interest for its strategies to help high school students remain engaged and earn their diplomas;
- Daytona Beach, Florida — Westside’s Night Alive, a K-5 afterschool program receiving statewide recognition for the high level of community support it enjoys, both financially and from a volunteer/service perspective;
- Michigan City, Indiana — Safe Harbor, a K-12 afterschool program emphasizing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities designed to integrate with, and support, regular school day instruction;
- Dallas, Texas — Thriving Minds, a K-8 afterschool program partnering with more than 100 community organizations to provide in-school, afterschool and summer programs that address academic achievement and youth development by connecting with arts, culture and creative learning; and
- Los Angeles, California — LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), a long-running, nationally recognized K-6 afterschool program that for the past 24 years has served more than 28,000 students annually at 186 sites.
In his annual message, White notes that “the productive use of time spent before and after school, as well as during the summer months, contributes to building a solid foundation for learning.
“By no means do I wish to suggest that afterschool is the answer to the problems facing our education system. But based on what we’ve learned over time, it can be an important piece of the puzzle,” he says.
The report also contains: a complete list of the 456 grants made in 2011, which totaled $89,274,566; financial statements for fiscal year 2011; and a list of Trustees and staff.
To read this year’s annual report and learn more about the Foundation and its overall grantmaking, visit www.mott.org or follow the Foundation on Facebook and Twitter. A number of online-only features will be posted on the Web site in early 2013 to further detail the Foundation’s work in the afterschool field.