093_HR0176

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 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The 92nd General Assembly directed the  creation
 3    of  the  Illinois After-school Initiative in House Resolution
 4    63 to identify the number of school-age children and youth in
 5    the State who are in need of out-of-school-time programs  and
 6    to  develop  a  plan  for coordinating resources to achieve a
 7    goal  of  providing  out-of-school-time  services  to   every
 8    school-age child and youth in the State; and

 9        WHEREAS,  The Illinois After-school Initiative found that
10    1.6 million school-age children and  youth  in  Illinois  are
11    potentially in need of programs during the hours they are not
12    in school; and

13        WHEREAS,  Sixty-four  percent  of  all  Illinois children
14    between the ages of 6 and 17 live in families where the  sole
15    parent  or  both  parents work; and being unsupervised during
16    the non-school hours puts children and youth at greater  risk
17    of   truancy,   performing   poorly  in  school,  depression,
18    substance abuse, and becoming a victim of crime; and

19        WHEREAS, The Illinois After-school Initiative found  that
20    41%  of  Illinois  eighth-grade students were home alone more
21    than 10 hours a week, and research shows that the  likelihood
22    of high-risk behaviors increases when youth are home alone 10
23    or more hours a week; and

24        WHEREAS,  Research  indicates  that  children  who attend
25    high-quality, out-of-school-time programs  have  better  peer
26    relations,  emotional adjustment, conflict resolution skills,
27    grades, and conduct in school compared to their peers who are
28    not in out-of-school-time programs; and

29        WHEREAS, Children who attend  quality  out-of-school-time
30    programs  spend more time in learning opportunities, academic
31    activities, and enrichment activities  and  spend  less  time
 
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 1    watching television than their peers; and

 2        WHEREAS,  Parents  and youth interviewed for the Illinois
 3    After-school Initiative detailed  time  and  time  again  the
 4    positive difference out-of-school-time programs made in their
 5    lives and the lives of their families; and

 6        WHEREAS,  The  2002  task  force  report  issued  by  the
 7    Illinois  After-school  Initiative at the request of the 92nd
 8    General Assembly focused on actions that would strengthen the
 9    State's  ability   to   support   high-quality,   affordable,
10    out-of-school-time programs and recommended policy changes in
11    the  areas of State-level interagency collaboration, capacity
12    building, community collaboration, evaluation,  and  funding;
13    and  implementing  these  recommendations  will  require  the
14    continued  collaboration,  focus, and commitment of the State
15    Board of Education and the Department of Human Services; and

16        WHEREAS, The recommendations of the Illinois After-school
17    Initiative reflect the  expertise  of  parents  and  over  60
18    representatives from State agencies, public institutions, and
19    private non-profit organizations with extensive experience in
20    education,  youth development, research, violence prevention,
21    juvenile justice, child care, volunteerism, and social  work,
22    and  it  is  imperative for Illinois' school-age children and
23    youth that the collaboration that produced this shared vision
24    for out-of-school-time programming continue; and

25        WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of Illinois  children  and
26    youth  will  be  denied  the  opportunity  to  participate in
27    activities that can help them reach their  fullest  potential
28    and   avoid   the   negative  choices  that  are  costly  and
29    detrimental to society  if  the  State  fails  to  enact  the
30    recommendations  of  the  Illinois After-school Initiative to
31    reduce duplication, streamline program requirements, maximize
32    funding opportunities, train program staff, involve community
 
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 1    institutions in designing and implementing programs,  promote
 2    research-supported  best practices, measure program outcomes,
 3    and  evaluate   the   effectiveness   of   out-of-school-time
 4    interventions; and

 5        WHEREAS,  The  Illinois  After-school  Initiative's  task
 6    force report recommended that the General Assembly extend the
 7    duration  of  the  Initiative  and  expand its membership and
 8    responsibilities  to  oversee  the  implementation   of   the
 9    Initiative's recommendations; and

10        WHEREAS,  In  December 2002, Illinois was one of 8 states
11    recognized by a national  foundation  committed  to  building
12    strong  statewide  after-school  networks  for its efforts to
13    coordinate services and reach  all  interested  children  and
14    youth  with  after-school  programs,  and  the foundation has
15    provided financial support to build upon the  work  begun  by
16    the Illinois After-school Initiative; therefore, be it

17        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
18    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
19    the  State  Board  of  Education  and the Department of Human
20    Services are directed to extend the duration of the  Illinois
21    After-school   Initiative,   to   be   renamed  the  Illinois
22    After-school Partnership, until 2006, and that these agencies
23    continue to co-chair the Partnership and oversee its  efforts
24    to  implement  the  policy recommendations and strategic next
25    steps identified in the  Illinois  After-school  Initiative's
26    task force report; and be it further

27        RESOLVED, That participation in the Illinois After-school
28    Partnership  be expanded beyond the membership of the initial
29    Illinois   After-school   Initiative    to    increase    the
30    representation of parents, youth, foundations, employers, and
31    others with experience in education, child care, after-school
32    and  youth  development  services,  and  crime  and  violence
 
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 1    prevention; and be it further

 2        RESOLVED,  That  the Partnership work diligently with the
 3    private sector to understand the out-of-school-time needs  of
 4    employed parents and their families, and that the Partnership
 5    engage  the  public  and  private  sectors  in  building  and
 6    sustaining  high  quality out-of-school-time programs; and be
 7    it further

 8        RESOLVED, That each year, on or before December  31,  the
 9    Illinois  After-school  Partnership  report  its  progress in
10    reaching  the  recommendations  set  forth  in  the  Illinois
11    After-school Initiative's task force report  to  the  General
12    Assembly and the Governor; and be it further

13        RESOLVED,  That  suitable copies of this resolution shall
14    be  delivered  to  the  State  Board  of  Education  and  the
15    Department of Human Services.