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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Teen REACH provides over 20,000 youth and parents
3in over 200 communities throughout the State with out-of-school
4time programs which have a track record of preventing risky
5behavior, keeping youth safe, and building essential skills to
6prepare them for the workforce and for a successful future; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Funding for Illinois' Teen REACH programs will be
8substantially eliminated for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011
9and the entirety of Fiscal Year 2012 under proposals put forth
10by the Governor; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The elimination of Teen REACH would immediately
12and drastically reduce quality after-school services
13throughout the State, leaving 20,000 youth without a safe place
14to go during out-of-school-time hours; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Teen REACH has been independently evaluated and
16the results chosen for inclusion in the Harvard Family Research
17Project After-School Evaluation Database; Teen REACH contains
18key program components recognized as being part of a quality
19after-school program; the program has a 12-year track record of
20success and a strong infrastructure, and it is
21performance-measurement driven and includes detailed program
22standards, policies and procedures, technical assistance, and

 

 

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1compliance monitoring of providers; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Teen REACH program and its service have
3allowed Illinois to access and leverage other federal dollars
4for programs supporting youth; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Teen REACH is unique in providing a comprehensive
6array of supports, including academic assistance, life-skills
7building, mentoring, and job preparation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Teen REACH is a critical support for at-risk
9youth, primarily those aged 11-17, who confront multiple
10barriers to success; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Teen REACH targets youth facing multiple risks,
12including neighborhood violence, poverty, a lack of academic
13support and of the opportunities needed to develop positive
14life skills and avoid dangerous behavior; earlier surveys
15revealed that nearly one-third of the Teen REACH youth surveyed
16were from single-parent homes, and 77% were from low-income
17families; Teen REACH youth have multiple risk factors
18including:
19        (1) living in single-parent households;
20        (2) residing in households receiving TANF funds;
21        (3) experiencing academic difficulties;
22        (4) witnessing or being a victim of family violence;

 

 

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1        (5) having siblings who dropped out of school;
2        (6) having siblings who are teen parents;
3        (7) having siblings who are involved in the juvenile
4    justice system;
5        (8) having one or both parents who are incarcerated;
6        (9) receiving services from DCFS or a partner delivery
7    system;
8        (10) being obese or otherwise nutritionally at-risk;
9        (11) having a parent or siblings who are involved with
10    substance abuse; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Youth are more likely to become victims of violent
12crime or use drugs between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
13and research has shown that crime can decrease with the
14presence of after-school programs; research indicates that
15students who spend time in extracurricular activities are less
16likely to use drugs or become teen parents; substantially
17eliminating Teen REACH would strip neighborhoods of an
18important tool for fighting juvenile crime, delinquency, and
19risky behavior; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Such drastic funding and service reductions
21undermine Public Act 96-1302, in which the General Assembly
22declares that it is the policy of this State to provide all
23young people between the ages of 6 and 19 with access to
24quality after-school programs through a State commitment to

 

 

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1sufficient and sustainable funding for programs that promote
2positive youth development; such drastic funding and service
3reductions also undermine the State's investments in at-risk
4youth at earlier stages of their life, by ending services
5during a critical developmental period when they are most
6at-risk of dropping out of school or becoming involved in risky
7behavior; Teen REACH ensures that State investments in early
8childhood and beyond will be successfully sustained over a
9child's development through adolescence and into adulthood;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Youth engaged in quality after-school activities
12demonstrate improved academic success and workforce skills
13compared to youth who do not participate; youth with high
14levels of participation in quality after-school programs show
15better achievement in math, reading, and other subjects;
16studies show they miss fewer days of school, have lower
17drop-out rates, and higher graduation rates; studies of Teen
18REACH reveal that over 90% of parents indicate their child is
19completing homework more often as a result of Teen REACH, and
20over 80% of parents say their child is more likely to prepare
21for school projects and tests, has improved their study skills,
22is more interested in school, is getting better grades, and is
23a better reader as a result of Teen REACH; and
 
24    WHEREAS, The effective elimination of Teen REACH will harm

 

 

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1working families and negatively impact the quality of Illinois'
2workforce as approximately 20,000 families will be forced to
3find affordable, quality out-of-school alternatives; statewide
4demand for services already far exceeds current supply, with
5shortfall estimates between 60% and 70%; 70% of Teen REACH
6youth surveyed indicated that without Teen REACH, they would
7not be in an after-school program; low and middle-income
8parents' job security may also be compromised, as parents may
9be forced to decide between keeping their-much needed jobs and
10staying home with their children to ensure they are safe;
11studies demonstrate that after-school programs are an
12important work support and are good for business with 54% of
13parents surveyed by the After-School Corporation saying that
14after-school programs allowed them to work more hours; it is
15estimated that decreased employee productivity and increased
16rates of absenteeism related to concerns for after-school care
17cost businesses between $496 and $1,984 per employee per year,
18depending on the employee's salary; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State will incur increased costs due to
20elimination of quality after-school options, including
21increased educational and truancy costs, public safety costs
22within the Department of Corrections, the Department of
23Juvenile Justice, and local police departments, and increased
24public health costs associated with youth substance abuse and
25teen pregnancy; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Senate deems that
3these draconian cuts will decimate Illinois' after-school and
4youth development system; and be it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That the drastic reduction of State funding for
6Teen REACH shall be immediately halted; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall be
8delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of the Department
9of Human Services.