Testimony of Joanna Blotner, Government Affairs Director, at the Hearing on the Universal Out-of-School-Time Amendment Act of 2023 before the DC Council Committee of the Whole

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and members and staff of the Committee of the Whole. I am Joanna Blotner, Government Affairs Director at DC Action, and proud alumni of extracurricular afterschool and summer camp experiences that helped shape who I am today as an advocate for equity and opportunity for District youth. My former DC Action colleague, the amazing Ryllie Danylko, and I worked closely with Councilmember Frumin’s office to draft the Universal Out-of-School-Time Amendment Act of 2023 (B25-630) and I’d like to explain a few core provisions we advocated to be included in the legislation and offer suggestions on ways to use this bill to further strengthen the District’s OST system. 

This bill creates the necessary conditions for the District to achieve universal access to OST for all public school students by 2035, by codifying the following provisions: 

• This bill expands the mission and duties of the OST Office so it is in a better position to achieve the goal of universal OST access set forth by the OST Commission’s strategic plan. It empowers the OST office to play a necessary coordination role in interagency collaboration so that agencies offering or funding youth development programs are working together to close existing disparities in the OST system, are using standardized data collection and program evaluation metrics, and sharing resources to ensure help community-based OST providers have access to technical assistance and professional development supports to serve more youth and youth with more specialized needs. (lines 90-171 and 299-400) 
• The legislation ensures that community-based OST providers who offer specialized programming in the arts, academic coaching, sports, civic engagement and more will continue to be eligible for grant funding. The bill amends the definition of “youth development program” to mean a “program or service that engages youth in a variety of social, emotional, educational, enrichment, or recreational activities…” By adding “enrichment” and changing an “and” to an “or,” the legislation ensures that program providers do not need to change their successful models to receive public funds. Let STEM programs focus on STEM, not require them to add a sports angle to their program, and let orchestra programs focus on music, don’t require them to also offer tutoring in math. (lines 87-88)
• A frequent and almost universal concern Ryllie and I heard from DC OST Coalition partners is that while the District has, on paper, been increasing the OST budget, community-based nonprofit providers are not seeing that materialize as meaningful increases in their grant awards, or as an expansion of the grantee universe. That is why this Act requires the OST Office to allocate 90% of grant funds to community-based organizations, recognizing that these organizations typically have the most expertise in providing high-quality programming. (lines 170-171 and 177-178) 
• Another frequent concern raised by coalition partners across all of DC Action’s issue area  is insufficient communication and notice of funding related changes from District government. That is why this Act requires the OST Office to provide at least 4 months notice before making changes to grant requirements and requires Office to solicit community input before enacting any policy changes that could impact access to public funding. Frequent, transparent, and iterative communication are essential to successfully scaling up the capacity of OST community partners so programming is accessible to all youth. (lines 184-189)
• The Act requires robust and standardized data collection and sharing across all main operators and funders of OST programs (specifically, the Learn24 Office, OSSE, DCPS, Charter LEAs, DPR, and DOES). To truly understand the supply, demand, and gaps in access to OST programs – and to accurately benchmark the District’s progress toward closing the gaps – the OST Office must urgently take a leading role in ensuring OST data from all agencies is tracked in comparable, deduplicated ways. It also means making sure the data can be disaggregated by Ward, race, for students with disabilities, for English-language learners, students with CFSA involvement, students experiencing homelessness, and for other vulnerable groups who we hear anecdotally tend to have less access to OST programs. The legislation rewrites the data collection, coordination, and grant reporting requirements in Section 9 of the law to ensure the District can take a strategic and equitable approach to reaching universal access. (lines 299-400)

The Universal Out-of-School-Time Amendment Act should be strengthened by adding the following provisions: 

• Create a grant funding set aside for small community-based nonprofit OST providers. As the District works to achieve universal OST access, the largest program providers should not be the only ones who benefit from increased public funding. Dedicating a portion of grant resources to smaller providers and comparing grant applications against providers of similar size or scale ensures a more level playing field and helps resources flow to programs that tend to be led by Black and brown staff and serve Black and brown youth.  
• Guarantee coverage of security costs associated with operating an OST program at a District government facility, including DCPS schools, rec centers, and more. Community-based OST providers who have partnerships with District facilities should not be constantly stuck in the limbo of the District’s budget process, waiting to see if they will receive financially devastating bills just weeks before their program is slated to start. The legislation could alleviate this significant source of stress of OST providers by prohibiting security costs from being passed on to providers. 
• Authorize the OST Office and other District agencies to prepay for portions of OST grants or contracted services instead of reimbursing organizations for OST programming after the fact. Additionally, the legislation should mandate all grant funding be paid in a more timely manner. It is unrealistic to expect nonprofit organizations to scale up their OST capacity if they are constantly operating in the red due to retroactive and delayed grant or contract payments.
• Though most legislation is passed without a funding source to effectuate its content, it may be wise to include a revenue stream for this important initiative. Participation in OST opportunities that help our youth to grow and thrive should be a right, not a privilege. The DC Council can create a level playing field for access to OST programs by asking our wealthiest residents and most profitable corporations to pay their fair share in local taxes, as the Just Recovery DC Coalition platform calls for. Everyone benefits when kids have fun, nurturing, and positive outlets.

Thank you and I would be happy to answer any questions about the thinking behind the drafting of this legislation.