Good Afternoon Chairman Mendelson,
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Njeri Jenkins, and I am the OST Advocacy Manager at DC Action, testifying on behalf of the DC OST Coalition that we convene. I’m here today to speak about the proposed FY26 budget and its implications for Out-of-School Time (OST) programs across the District.
Our coalition represents a diverse group of community-based organizations that provide high-quality out of school time programming to youth across all eight wards. OST programs offer secure, nurturing environments that foster learning and play a crucial role in advancing youth equity and development. But maintaining access to these services depends on the District’s continued investment, not only in direct grant funding, but also in coverage of the full cost of delivering programs in public buildings, especially our DCPS schools.
We appreciate that last year, the District stepped up to cover essential operational expenses; including security and custodial costs for school-year programming. That support made a direct and measurable impact. It allowed more providers to stay in DCPS buildings, sustain staff positions, and expand access for families. But the impact went far beyond logistics; it created multiplier effects. OST investments ripple through a young person’s life: when a student has a safe, enriching place to go after school or in the summer, their academics, mental health, and curiosity thrive. We heard this firsthand in testimony on Wednesday at the OSSE hearing from FreshFarm-Foodprints students themselves.
These investments also create multiplier impacts for families. When a parent knows their child is in a trusted, affordable, and high-quality program, they gain peace of mind and scheduling stability. That security allows them to remain employed, contribute more fully to their family’s finances, and participate more actively in the District’s economic life.
We urge the District to continue covering security, janitorial, and meal building use costs for OST programming in FY26, and to expand to fully cover summer programming costs.
Under current DCPS contracts, a single school security guard costs an average of $45 per hour. During the school year, just two hours of coverage per day across 180 school days totals over $16,000 per site annually. For organizations operating in multiple schools, these costs can easily exceed $100,000 per year, a massive and unsustainable burden.
In the summer, costs can grow even higher due to longer hours and additional cleaning needs. While DCPS does provide building access at no cost to community-based OST providers during the summer, this coverage only extends until 4:00 PM and only at schools operating summer school services. According to the Summer Strong RFA, providers are responsible for any services beyond that time, including additional security fees ranging from $40.74 to $53.17 per hour for building use between 4:00 and 6:00 PM – 6:00 PM often being the earliest most parents can pick up their younger kids up from programming. Those two hours are $510 per week for security costs alone for each site an OST provider operates.
These expenses hit hard for nonprofit providers operating in non-summer school DCPS buildings (security alone ~$2,120+/week) or running Friday sessions (security alone ~$424/Friday) where access and services aren’t covered. If these expenses are passed on to providers, many will be forced to cut services, reduce available seats, or close programs altogether just when demand for safe, structured summer opportunities is highest.
These operational costs are a small fraction of the District’s overall education budget, but if shifted onto providers, they create significant barriers that threaten program sustainability and equity. Community-based organizations cannot and should not be left to shoulder costs the District has historically absorbed.
We respectfully ask the Council to:
- Ensure DCPS and/or DGS budgets fully cover security, custodial, meals, and other building use costs for both school-year and summer OST programs; and
- Augment the FY26 budget to fill any gaps in summer coverage for OST providers using DCPS buildings
Thank you for your ongoing support and for acknowledging the important role OST plays for our city’s youth. I’m happy to answer any questions.