Open Letter RE: Summer Programming - 6 /2020

We are the Philadelphia Out-of-School-Time Collaborative (POSTC), a group of seven afterschool provider organizations that collectively serve more than 4,700 youth in Philadelphia. We have operated high-quality Out-of-School-Time (OST) programs for years across the City, from Kensington to Cobbs Creek, from Strawberry Mansion to South Philadelphia, and beyond. We serve many of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable low-income, predominantly minority youth, and during these uncertain times they deserve creative, enriching programming offered in-person by caring adults, just as their parents and caregivers deserve access to child care that allows them to return to work with confidence.

This spring, the OST community faced an entirely new challenge in the form of COVID-19, and we responded by completely transforming our models and creating large scale virtual programming. Now, our City’s OST system is threatened once again, by a potential lack of access to the facilities on which the majority of providers depend: School District of Philadelphia (SDP) buildings. The School District is considering a plan to exclude outside partners, such as afterschool programs, from its buildings when they reopen this fall. This would be a mistake that would hurt our children and families.

The enormity of such a decision cannot be understated. The city’s OST system relies on a school-based model: almost 90% of the youth in City-funded OST attend a school-based program, and 78% of City-funded OST providers operate in SDP buildings. POSTC members alone ran afterschool programs in 39 SDP buildings this year. With schools closed this summer, 70% of the camps funded by the Office of Children and Families were forced to go virtual, largely due to a lack of suitable space. School District buildings are a unique physical resource in many neighborhoods, making a pivot to usable alternative locations no simple matter.

OST providers and their host public schools create powerful symbiotic relationships that have served Philadelphia families well for decades. Caregivers are reassured by the fact that their child remains in one location all day. Providers do not need to waste precious minutes transporting students, but rather can focus on academic enrichment and social emotional support. The schools themselves are a more appealing choice when they host a free City-funded OST program. Now is not the time to upturn those relationships, when our families need safe, quality care for their children more than ever.

POSTC calls for a recognition by the School District of this critical relationship, more coordination from City and School District leadership in this matter, and a seat at the table for providers. We have a wealth of experience we can draw on to provide solutions to the building-use challenges caused by COVID-19.

Philadelphia’s OST system is going to need our support this fall. It will cost more to provide COVID-safe care, particularly in alternative locations which would charge rent to providers. We believe that the City’s OST funding would be better used to fund programs in schools than to offset rental payments. Moreover, while the operating guidance issued by the City will help keep students and staff safe, it will come at a cost: fewer OST spaces will be available if funding remains flat, because of the increased expenses required to operate COVD-safe programming. This shift of dollars away from youth will also impact OST staff. POSTC urges increased City support for OST to ensure that there are sufficient spaces for youth, support for working families, and to preserve a dedicated workforce.

POSTC members--and the rest of the OST provider community--remain dedicated to our students and families, and we commit to applying all of our experience and expertise to a shared planning process in order to assist City entities, School District leadership, and other stakeholders with developing a coordinated plan for the fall and ensuring that support for OST remains strong.

Signed,

Philadelphia Out-of-School Time Coalition