February 12, 2026
Good morning Councilmember Lewis George, members, and staff of the Committee on Facilities. My name is Jessica Nguyen, and I am testifying as a Policy Fellow on behalf of the OST Coalition housed by DC Action. The Out-of-School Time (OST) Coalition represents dozens of community-based organizations delivering high-quality youth development programming to thousands of District youth and families across all wards.
Out-of-school time programs are essential to the District’s safety and the academic success of our students. The Department of Parks and Recreation plays a critical role in this ecosystem because many OST providers rely on DPR spaces, partnerships, and grants to serve young people, such as DPR’s Rec for All Community Grant, The Fields at RFK, Shepard Park Community Center, and many more partnerships.
Today, I am sharing feedback gathered across the OST Coalition. While several providers have testified to positive experiences working with DPR, I am using this time to share the issues that other providers have privately expressed to the Coalition. These providers are hesitant to speak publicly based on past experiences where they have raised concerns about DPR and consequently had their partnership and programming affected negatively after speaking on the record. This dynamic only makes it more difficult to solve systemic issues that impact program quality and youth experiences.
The following feedback coalesces around three core themes: 1) lack of coordination between DPR and other youth-serving agencies 2) communication and operational reliability challenges, and 3) equity and access to DPR spaces.
The first recurring theme that providers have raised concerns about is the need for stronger collaboration between DPR and other agencies. Families across the District currently have to navigate multiple systems to access OST opportunities, which can be especially cumbersome for parents who are already juggling work schedules, childcare responsibilities, transportation, and other day-to-day demands. For example, Learn24’s My OST (MOST) portal is intended to serve as a centralized access point for all out-of-school-time programs across the District – afterschool, summer, school break, and more. In theory, OST programs that DPR hosts should be fully integrated into MOST, allowing families to easily see, compare, and enroll their children in DPR programming directly through the portal. In practice, however, when families attempt to sign up for a DPR OST program through MOST, they are redirected to the DPR website, requiring them to re-enter information and navigate a separate enrollment process. From a research organization perspective, does this mean OST enrollment and participation data is still not able to be coordinated across agencies (DPR-OST Office-OSSE, etc.)?
From a family perspective, this creates confusion and barriers to participation. For many families, especially those with multiple children whose program needs vary by age, interest, and schedule, navigating this extra step can feel unnecessarily complicated and discouraging, sometimes leading parents to give up on opportunities their children would otherwise benefit from. Thus, improved system integration between DPR and the MOST portal would significantly improve accessibility, streamline enrollment, and support more equitable access to youth programming across the District.
Secondly, OST providers across wards and programs consistently report challenges with communication and operational coordination with DPR. In fact, several providers have described their experience communicating with the agency as sending requests into a “black hole,” reflecting a broader lack of clear, timely, and consistent communication.
Providers have shared experiences that include excessive delays in facility repairs, difficulty accessing program spaces, inconsistent information about facility availability, and limited follow-up on reported concerns.
These challenges directly impact program quality. When OST staff must spend time troubleshooting access issues, addressing safety concerns, or navigating administrative barriers, they are pulled away from their primary responsibility of delivering high-quality enrichment programming to young people.
In some cases, unresolved maintenance issues, such as broken water fountains or unsafe restrooms, have created disruptive or even hazardous conditions. Without clear communication about repair timelines or next steps, providers are left operating in uncertainty and, at times, in inadequate environments that compromise the quality and consistency of services delivered to youth.
Another consistent issue is inequitable or inconsistent access to DPR facilities and fields. While some providers report positive, long-standing partnerships with DPR, many others describe significant challenges, including difficulty reserving field or recreation space, a lack of transparency in the booking process, and limited availability of spaces despite strong community demand. For example, providers have noted that DPR will sometimes reject requests for field or facility use, and when OST staff or community members follow up to see what event is taking place that day, they find doors locked or fields left unused.
We have heard similar concerns directly from youth across the District, many of whom have expressed a strong desire to utilize community spaces for recreation and enrichment.
To conclude, while we acknowledge and value the providers who have built strong, positive relationships with DPR, and recognize the agency’s importance in supporting youth enrichment, health, and safety across the District, the experiences shared today illustrate a clear need for improved equity, transparency, and consistency in access to facilities. All OST providers—regardless of their organization’s size or length of relationship with DPR—should be communicated with consistently and have equal access to information, resources, and facility support. Providers should not feel that longstanding relationships are a prerequisite for reliable partnership.
When agencies coordinate effectively, providers can focus fully on serving youth and families. Strengthening these systems will not only support providers and families but also enhance the overall OST landscape across the District.
I appreciate the Council’s continued oversight and urge Council to ensure that DPR coordinates effectively with providers and agencies to fully support the programs and partnerships that District youth rely on for out-of-school time programming. Thank you for your time and consideration. I welcome any questions.