Richland County School District One Afterschool Ambassador
Calls Meetings With Congress ‘Worthwhile, Important & Successful’

Afterschool supporters from South Carolina, including Richland School District One’s Dr. Traci Young Cooper, recently returned home after a two-day visit to Washington, DC, where they met with members of Congress including Congressman James Clyburn and Senator Lindsey Graham, to ask for more funding for afterschool programs.

The visit was part of the seventh annual Afterschool for All Challenge, sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance and the National League of Cities. Dr. Cooper, Director of Richland School District One’s Extended Day Programs, declared it “worthwhile, important and successful.”

Joining Dr. Cooper on the trip were Mayor Robert Coble (Mayor of the City of Columbia), Ms. Zelda Waymer (Executive Director of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance), Chip Jackson (Chairman of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance), and Terri Towle (Staff Member – South Carolina Afterschool Alliance). As part of the Afterschool for All Challenge, the Afterschool Alliance and the National League of Cities sponsored a “Breakfast of Champions” at which advocates from across the country were honored for their support of afterschool. At the Breakfast, Mayor Coble of Columbia was honored as a State Champion for Afterschool, and was recognized for his advocacy for afterschool programs in this community. Participants then fanned out across Capitol Hill for more than 100 meetings with Members of Congress and their aides. Dr. Cooper and the South Carolina delegation met formally with Congressman Clyburn and Senator Graham, while meeting with the aides of Representative J. Gresham Barrett, Representative Henry Brown, Representative John Spratt, Representative Jim Demint, and Representative Bob Inglis.

The goal of the visit was to increase federal funding for afterschool programs and educate lawmakers about the important work being done in afterschool programs. In Richland County School District One, a 21st CCLC grant supports afterschool programming at Burton-Pack Elementary, E.E. Taylor Elementary, Annie Burnside Elementary and Greenview Elementary Schools. The Afterschool Alliance is urging Congress to increase funding for afterschool programs nation-wide where the need exceeds the supply.

“The Afterschool for All Challenge was a great experience. We joined with hundreds of educators, parents and students from around the country, all of whom came to Washington because they wanted to share their passion for afterschool with their elected officials,” said Dr. Cooper. “I know the commitment and enthusiasm made an impression on Members of Congress and their aides. Congressman Clyburn stated that he was glad to talk with us and hear our request. A former educator, Congressman Clyburn stated that he understands first hand the enormous benefits from afterschool programs. He agreed that afterschool programs are worth the modest investment.” Without adequate funding, afterschool programs and the children and families they serve here and across the nation will suffer.

The Afterschool for All Challenge was sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance in partnership with the National League of Cities and its National City Afterschool Summit.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs by 2010. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 U.S. cities, towns and villages, which collectively serve 225 million people. To learn more, visit www.nlc.org.

Richland One is the recent recipient of two additional 21st CCLC Grants for the 2008-2009 School term (C.A. Johnson Preparatory Academy and Webber Elementary School). The 21st CCLC programs provide homework and remediation assistance, enrichment components, field study activities, and a family/parent engagement and literacy component.

For more information about afterschool, including research data and more, visit www.afterschoolalliance.org, www.r1extendedday.org, or call Dr. Traci Young Cooper at 231-6842.