PROVIDENCE – Nearly 100 community leaders, students among them, rallied at the Statehouse May 24 on behalf of the United Way of Rhode Island’s Afterschool Leadership Circle to call for increased access to educational programming during after-school hours and a dedicated funding stream for such opportunities.
Through summertime programming, UWRI’s Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative helps 1,100 local students retain reading and math skills they learned during the school year, so the first months of the next school year are not spent in review.
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By UWRI’s count, HSLI participants see average gains of 30 percent in math and 22 percent in reading.
The event called attention to two current pieces of legislation – Senate bill 2347 and House bill 7413a – that seek to establish a permanent Out of School Time Commission to increase the number of after-school and summer learning programs available to local youth.
The Senate bill passed with a 33-0 vote May 2, while the House bill was voted out of committee May 23 and placed on the House calendar for May 29, where it passed.
“Unlike other states, Rhode Island does not have a dedicated state funding stream specific to after-school and summer learning programs; instead, local programs are run in large part on private donations, including nearly $1.3 million from United Way donors,” said Anthony Maione, UWRI president and CEO, in a statement.
He added that federal funding is also used to afford these programs but that source “is at risk” as well.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
