New Allegheny County afterschool dashboard helps identify service needs, gaps

WESA- Allegheny County has a new online dashboard for out-of-school time programs, illuminating where after-school and summer programs are available and where gaps exist.

With data collected by RAND researchers, the new dashboard allows viewers to see more than 500 programs across Allegheny County, the ages they serve, proximity to school and public transit, and cross-reference measures of socioeconomic need.

Year-round programs are defined as those that offer supervised activities at least three days a week all year. Summer programs included on the map operate at least four days a week, for at least two consecutive weeks during the summer.

Tylor Hart, deputy executive director of Allegheny County’s Department of Children Initiatives, said the dashboard is less of a program directory and more of a tool for providers and funders looking to expand their impact.

“It’s not getting you the answer, but it is answering some questions that tell you, ‘Hey, we’ve actually got to reach out to some of these folks,’” Hart said. “And now we know who some of them are in the community.”

While the demand for afterschool programs is high in Allegheny County, recent data from the Afterschool Alliance and Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time (APOST) show four out of five kids are missing out.

Nearly 60% of county parents surveyed said inconvenient location was a barrier to enrollment, in addition to program cost and a lack of safe travel options to and from current sites. Almost half said programs were not available in their communities.

“Everyone is aware that there is a massive gap for young people during these hours,” said Gina Evans, senior program director at the McElhattan Foundation, which helped fund the project.

“This is not a secret, but there has not yet been really strategic regionwide approaches to how we will address this.”

Evans said the new dashboard will better inform investments into afterschool programming countywide. While Pennsylvania doesn’t have a statewide map of out-of-school time programs, similar efforts have found success in Virginia.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania lawmakers have ramped up support for afterschool and summer programs through the launch of the state’s $11.5 million Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) fund.

Initial grants were allocated last year to 46 providers statewide, including 10 in Allegheny County serving at-risk school-age youth. State representatives added another $11.5 million to the fund for a second round of grants in their latest budget.

Funding from the first round of grants was used to expand services at Boys & Girls Clubs statewide. Chris Watts, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, said the demand for out-of-school time programming far exceeds existing capacity, presenting a challenge for both families and providers.

The new dashboard, Watts added, helps to identify where additional programs “would make the most difference.”

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania is already using this dashboard to explore opportunities to advance our mission in communities throughout Allegheny County,” he continued. “This new tool is helping us to better understand where there is a high need for out-of-school-time programs and connect with potential partners.”

Watts served on the dashboard initiative’s advisory committee, alongside APOST executive director Karen Dreyer. She said the tool will help her organization better understand access to afterschool and summer programs within a regional context.

“Afterschool programs are life changing for kids — exposing them to new interests, providing spaces to build healthy relationships with adults and peers — and they are foundational for working families,” Dreyer added.

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