A N N U A L R E P O R T

2015

Vermont Afterschool supports organizations in providing quality afterschool, summer, and expanded learning experiences so that all Vermont’s children and youth have the opportunities, skills, and resources they need to become healthy, productive members of society.

Executive Director Holly Morehouse (L) and Board Chair Ginny Burley (R)

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LETTER TO OUR COMMUNITY

OUR MISSION

Looking back on this past year, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the important steps taken this year to move towards ensuring that the children and youth in every Vermont community have access to quality expanded learning opportunities.

1. For the first time, the Vermont Agency of Education required all 21st CCLC sites to participate in the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI) self-assessment and program improvement process. This is a clear step forward in developing a common understanding of what makes a quality program and for ensuring that the programs we offer in Vermont meet these high standards.

2. Vermont’s afterschool licensed care regulations have been updated and approved by the administra-tion and legislature. Vermont was ahead of most of the nation in 1996 in creating separate regulations for school-age licensed afterschool programs and these updates have been long anticipated by the field.

3. The PreK-16 Council’s Working Group on Expanded Learning Opportunities released their report and recommendations in December 2014. The report put forward important goals for Vermont including ensuring access to quality expanded learning programs in all communities by 2020. The report also published important data on program participation and unmet demand, return on investment esti-mates, and the important role that expanded learning opportunities play in Vermont’s communities.

4. Finally, the Vermont Legislature passed H.480 including language establishing an Expanded Learn-ing Opportunities Special Fund that can accept contributions, grants, and donations from public and private sources. This summer the PreK-16 Council’s Working Group on Expanded Learning Opportuni-ties will work with the Secretary of Education on recommendations for how to fill the fund, manage the fund, and award grants to communities to increase access to programs.

None of these important developments would have been possible without the close collaboration and strong support of our partners, advocates, and programs. Thank you!

Holly and Ginny

STAFF

Holly MorehouseExecutive Director

Erin SchwabResearch Analyst

Karen ScottProject Manager for Quality

Tracy TruzanskyProject Manager for Training

Cassie WillnerCommunications Coordinator

BOARD

Ginny BurleyChair

Barbara RussVice Chair

Jim FitzpatrickTreasurer

Raquel AronhimeSecretary

Laura ClemmonsKatie MobleyVicky Smith

Rich TulikangasLauren Wooden

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Vermont Afterschool expanded its Partner Advisor Council (PAC) this year to include more program providers who represent greater geographic diversity across the state. We also added a representa-tive from the Vermont State Libraries as a new partner. The PAC group, which meets quarterly, advis-es Vermont Afterschool on strategic planning and organizational goals. For FY15, the PAC provided guidance and feedback in the creation of Vermont Afterschool’s new Results-Based Accountability (RBA) plan.

STEM INITIATIVE

PARTNER ADVISORY COUNCIL

creating PARTNERSHIPS that last

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2014 -2015

PARTNER ADVISORY

COUNCIL

Mandy Chesley-Park, ANESU AfterschoolSharon Colvin, VT Department of LibrariesAlissa Faber, Indepdendent TrainerThara Fuller, LAFTER AfterschoolChristy Gallese, Burlington Kids AfterschoolDeb Hathaway, Rutland TapestryDiane Janukajtis, Kingdom Kids AfterschoolSarah Kleinman, UVM 4-HDerrick Lambert, Hunger Free VermontKaty Miller, ENCORE AfterschoolMary Mulloy, VT Agency of EducationKen Page, VT Principal’s AssociationJulie Peterson, Greater Burlington YMCACathy Printon, VSAC GEAR UP Lynne Robbins, Child Development DivisionBarb Russ, Board Vice-ChairLindsay Simpson, VT Agency of EducationSarah Teel, Voices for Vermont’s Children

PROGRAM QUALITY PARTNERS

In FY15 Vermont Afterschool joined VSTEM, a statewide group for STEM educators that is hosted by UVM, as well as the Vermont Agency of Education’s Science Professional Learning Team whose purpose is to support STEM instruction in the Next Generation Science Standards. In FY15 we increased STEM partners, trainers, professional development workshops and program pilots for the second year of our STEM Quality and Partnership Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to support, inspire, and increase high-quality STEM programming and partnerships in Vermont’s afterschool and summer learning programs. We also saw the number of STEM programs and youth served rise dramatically. For FY15, the hours of STEM instruction by programs who participated in the STEM ISS-AP strand increased from 220 to 2,109 hours.

Vermont Afterschool participates in a number of partnerships to build and support statewide quality efforts. This past year we were members of the STARS Oversight Committee for Vermont’s quality rating and improvement system, the Child Development Division’s Quality Think Tank on professional development, and Northern Lights’ MATCH Committee on mentoring and coaching. This year we also continued our strong partnerships with the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, the National AfterSchool Association, the Afterschool Alliance, and the National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks.

leading ADVOCACY efforts for change

The sixth annual Vermont Afterschool & Summer Learning Day, held on February 19, 2015, drew 115 participants, 40 legislators, and 42 youth am-bassadors (pictured right). New elements included organized coffee meet-ings in the morning with legislators and 12 people (including 5 youth am-bassadors) testifying on the value of expanded learning opportunities in the House Education, Senate Education, and House Human Services Com-mittees. We also screened our new video on STEM in out-of-school time learning at the luncheon and received a visit from Governor Peter Shumlin who spoke in support of afterschool and expanded learning in Vermont.

AFTERSCHOOL & SUMMER LEARNING DAY

ELO WORKING GROUP

STATEWIDE POLICY

This year we dedicated significant attention and resources to statewide advocacy efforts. We worked with Action Circles to clarify our policy agenda and benefited from their specialized expertise. After a very busy and chaotic session, the Vermont Legislature passed H.480 including language establishing an Expanded Learning Opportunities Special Fund. This fund can accept contributions, grants, and donations from public and private sources for the sole purpose of funding expanded learning programs in Vermont. Recommendations on how to fill the fund, manage the fund, and award grants will be es-tablished by the PreK-16 Council’s Working Group on Expanded Learning Opportunities.

In FY15 Holly Morehouse chaired the PreK-16 Council’s Working Group on Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO). The group evaluated issues of equity in and access to Vermont’s expanded learning programs, and published a report in December 2014. Every Hour Counts: Vermont Students Succeed with Expanded Learning Opportunities compiled research and outlined key data to support the key recommendation that the state develop systems, partnerships, and funding strategies to ensure that by 2020 the children and youth in every Vermont community have access to ELOs.

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AFTERSCHOOL FOR ALL CHALLENGEA team from Vermont Afterschool, along with the director and staff from Rutland’s Tapestry Program, met with education staffers at the offices of Senator Sanders and Senator Leahy during the Afterschool Alliance’s Afterschool for All Challenge in March. These meetings were particularly timely, given that 21st CCLC funding was in danger of being eliminated. Senator Sanders played a key role in passing an amendment to restore 21st CCLC funding in the current ESEA reauthorization bill.

providing TRAININGS to educate

In FY15 Vermont Afterschool hosted 79 professional development workshops statewide. These workshops are specifically designed for out-of-school time staff and delivered by Vermont Afterschool’s contracted professional trainers. Quality continues to be notable, with 87% of participants agreeing that they will apply what they learned in the training to their own programs. New for this year were the Spring Training Events: low-cost, high-quality regional workshops held on Saturdays for afterschool direct service staff.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

Over 65 people participated in the Individual System of Support for Afterschool Programs (ISS-AP) professional learning community. ISS-AP offers participants an ongoing and in-depth professional development experience with an experienced instructor and a small group of professional colleagues. Strand topics in FY15 included: STEM, New Directors, Afterschool Essentials, Family Engagement, State Policy & Research, and Building Confident and Competent Kids. 90% of ISS-AP participants agreed that the workshops helped them to improve their program’s quality.

ISS-AP LEARNING COMMUNITY

We held our annual Vermont Afterschool Conference on October 24, 2015, and had an outstanding turnout with 245 participants from across Vermont. We received outstanding feedback on keynote speaker Dr. Robert Brooks who spoke on resiliency and youth. This was the first year we offered full-day workshops on STEM and PreK-3 Literacy for participants who wanted a deeper dive in those topics. In the post-conference survey, 99% of respondents reported that their overall experience at the conference was excellent or good.

VERMONT AFTERSCHOOL CONFERENCE

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offering RESOURCES for support

Mentors for Quality is a program we offer to provide professional mentoring support to site coordinators and program directors throughout the state. Eight afterschool programs participated in the mentoring program in FY15. These programs received technical assistance and site visits at various times during the year.

MENTORS FOR QUALITY

Vermont Afterschool places a high priority on reliable data. This year we updated and expanded our database of over 450 programs to also include information on program quality and access measures. Making sure that the information collected was accessible and relevant, we utilized an online mapping tool to help inform policy and funding decisions. In addition, we conducted an important return on investment study that found that for every $1 that Vermont spends on quality afterschool and summer learning programs the state could save $2.18 down the road. Our work in this area received national attention and was also featured in our policy agenda.

STATEWIDE DATA INITIATIVES

YQPI

The Child Development Division (CDD) Afterschool Care Grants were awarded in May 2015. In total, Vermont Afterschool will administer $50,000 in funds to licensed afterschool programs for start-up, expansion, and quality improvement grants.

AFTERSCHOOL CARE GRANTS

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This year for the first time, the Vermont Agency of Education required all 21st CCLC sites to participate in the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI) assessment and program improvement process with 100 sites across the state participating. Vermont Afterschool supported the full rollout by providing four trainings this winter, as well as compiling and analyzing data reported by the sites.

MENTORS & TRAINERSTeresa BedellJohn BentleyLaura BoudreauMellisa CainLauren ChicoteTori CleilandRhonda DrakeAlissa FaberSue FortierDeb HathawayVicki HoefleJennefer JollsLeah JolyDana KaruzaSarah KleinmanShannon LaRoseMerry McDonnellTamara McLaughlinMegan MeinenNicole MillerTricia PawlikJulie PetersonBarbara RussNina RidhibhinyoTodd RohlenBetsey StaceyTami StagnerJen StanchfieldLynn Stanley

FUNDERSC.S. Mott Foundation

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)

Vermont Agency of Education (AOE)

Vermont Child Development Divison (CDD), Department of Children and Families, Agency of Human Services

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC)

MEMBERS*

Michael AldrichSusan AmestoyJoyce AshtonSharon BaileyErica BakerCarol BarbierriBret BeattieCeleste BeyerChristina BillingsNancy BirdKimberly BolducJen Bouvier WendelLilo BraadeJesse BridgesDawn BrittainKristina Brown

Sabrina ButterfieldMellisa CainAnne CarrollSarah CarterSusan CarterJennifer CaswellDamon CawleyNancy ChaseBeth CobbRay CoffeeLindsay ContoisKathryn CooksonRoberta CoveyHolly CrispellPaul DaytonAmity DeAngelisCaitlin DeLucaPatty DemingwarePasquale DiLegoPhil DimondJenna DitcheosBonnie DuquetteTanna ElliottVanessa EmeryMarci EschenbachKathy FitzgeraldJim FlintSusan FortierThara FullerChristy GalleseZoe GasconDonna GastonLucy GiesingSandra GilbrideAnne Gleason

Peter GleasonMaria GleasonSue GrenierMelanie GrossSam HagenJess HanniganAnne HansonDebra HathawayEthan HausmanJoseph HenleyKatelyn IrwinDiane JanukajtisRebecca JohnstonMelinda KimmellSarah KleinmanKathy KneeboneJenn Lamberton-BrownHeidi LauricellaMelissa Laurita-KohlMaggie LeugersPenny LewisTammy LynchBrett MashteareCarrie McDonnellDrew McNaughtonLori McNeilBen McShaneNicole MillerKaty MillerTamara MusgroveMargaret O’NeillDoug OrvisElisa OtterKirstie PaschallJill Paul

Michael PaulCindy PerryJake PetraschLeisa PollanderKaren PowersSarah RectorAlex RobSara Robertson-RyanGary RogersElsa RoodKathleen SampsonJerry SchneiderSuzanne SkaflestadKathi SlocumSherri SmithJulie SniderSherry SousaTami StagnerTodd StrattonJill StrubeJessica SummerBrittany TerhuneBrekke ThompsonLisa ThompsonJessi TofflingCatherine TolandHeather TuckTara TuckerNancy Van NostrandBonna WeilerSue WinsorJanet YoukelesTara Young

*As of 6/30/15

our COMMUNITY

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PHOTO CREDITS

FINANCIAL REPORT FY 2015:

July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015

Thank you to: Kingdom Kids Afterschool (cover page), Burlington Kids at Hunt Middle School (p. 2), Student Success Winooski and Beyond (p. 6), and One Planet at Sharon Elementary (p. 8) for allowing us to take photos at their afterschool and summer learning programs.

Programs/Projects

29%

Operating Costs

7% Personnel

47%

Contracted Services

5%

Dues and Subscriptions

1%

Indirect Costs 11%

State Grants 49%

State Contracts 26%

Foundation/Partner Grants

18%

Participant Fees 5%

Membership Fees 1%

Training Revenue

1%

Total Expenditures:$544,135

Total Income:$564,080

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Partnerships | Advocacy | Training | Resources for Excellence in A

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upont Hall #309

Colchester, VT 05446