Brief Summary of Bill

Creates in statute the Washington Academic, Innovation, and Mentoring (AIM) program to provide after-school and during the summer programs designed for youth mentoring and academic enrichment.
Requires entities that provide the program and non-profit entities applying for funding as a statewide network to meet specified requirements.
Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to submit two reports outlining the programs established, target populations, and pre-and post-test results.

Background: The 2015–17 State Operating Budget appropriated $250,000 to fund the AIM grant program over two years. The proviso required that to receive a grant an entity must be a nonprofit corporation that has federal tax exempt status, is affiliated with a congressionally chartered organization, and meets other specified criteria, which includes providing after-school and summer programs in a minimum of 50 communities statewide. The grant must be used to pilot out-of-school time programs that include educational services, mentoring, and linkages to prosocial leisure and recreational activities for youth who are six to eighteen years of age. Additionally, programs must provide at least two of three activity areas:

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM);
homework support and high-yield learning opportunities; and
career exploration.

The Washington State Boys & Girls Clubs Association received the AIM grant and piloted programming in five communities: Bellevue, Mt. Vernon, Spokane, Tacoma, and Vancouver. The full project period extends from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2017. The Superintendent of Public Instruction submitted a report on the AIM program in January 2017.

The United States Internal Revenue Code exempts nonprofit organizations from some federal income taxes when the organization's purpose is charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering amateur sports competition, or preventing cruelty to children or animals.

Summary of Bill (First Substitute): The AIM program is created in statute to provide after-school and during the summer programs designed for youth mentoring and academic enrichment for youth who are six to eighteen years of age. Eligible entities must meet specified requirements, including the following:

ensure that 60 percent or more of the program participants qualify for free or reduced-price lunch;
have an existing partnership with the local school district and a formalized data-sharing agreement;
engage in a continuous program quality improvement process;
conduct national criminal background checks for all employees and volunteers who work with children; and
have adopted standards for care including staff training, health and safety standards, and mechanisms for assessing and enforcing the program's compliance with the standards.

Nonprofit entities applying for funding as a statewide network must:

have an existing infrastructure or network of grant-eligible entities located in at least ten counties;
provide after-school and summer programs in a minimum of 50 cities statewide, with youth development services available for a minimum of 20 hours weekly during the school year, and 30 hours weekly during summer programming; and
be facility-based and provide proven and tested recreational, educational, and character-building programs for youth who are six to eighteen years of age.

By December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2019, OSPI must report to the Legislature on the programs established, target populations, and pre- and post-test results.

EFFECT OF CHANGES MADE BY EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE (First Substitute):

Retains the creation and purpose of the AIM Program in statute.

Removes the requirement for the AIM programs to include at least two of the following three activity areas:
- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics;
- homework support and high-yield learning opportunities; and
- career exploration.
Removes the goal to provide the AIM program in a minimum of 50 communities statewide.
Removes the Department of Commerce as the administrator of the AIM program and shifts the duty to ensure that 60 percent or more of the AIM participants qualify for free and reduced priced meals from the Department of Commerce to the entities that establish an AIM program.
Specifies different requirements that eligible entities must meet to establish an AIM program:
- have an existing partnership with the local school district and a formalized data-sharing agreement;
- engage in a continuous program quality improvement process;
- conduct national criminal background checks for all employees and volunteers who work with children; and
- have adopted standards for care including staff training, health and safety standards, and mechanisms for assessing and enforcing the program's compliance with the standards.
Removes the requirement for entities running an AIM program to be a nonprofit corporation that has federal tax exempt status, affiliated with a congressionally chartered organization, and meet other specified criteria, which includes providing after school and summer programs in a minimum of 50 communities statewide.
Adds requirements for nonprofit entities applying for funding as a statewide network to do the following:
- have an existing infrastructure or network of grant-eligible entities located in at least ten counties;
- provide after-school and summer programs in a minimum of 50 cities statewide, with youth development services available for a minimum of 20 hours weekly during the school year, and 30 hours weekly during summer programming; and
- be facility-based and provide proven and tested recreational, educational, and character-building programs for children ages six to eighteen years of age.
Directs OSPI to submit two reports outlining the programs established, target populations, and pre-and post-test results.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill (Early Learning & K-12 Education): The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This bill holds a lot of promise to help kids. The program carried out under the budget proviso has had good results and should be in statute. This program is focused on family, school, and community engagement to assist kids in reaching their full potential, including academic success. A big part of this program is helping students to learn during the summer because the "summer slide" that occurs when students are out of school during the summer has a very negative impact. It is important to partner with school districts for improving student academics in addition to providing other wrap-around services. Local levy funding that is currently used by many districts for this type of program should be protected and increased. Research shows that academic learning and mentoring outside of school through extended learning opportunity programs does result in higher graduation rates and lower drop out rates for the students that participate in these programs. We support these types of programs across the state and would support an amendment that will permit additional organizations to provide these programs and other high-quality extended learning opportunities.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on First Substitute (Ways & Means): PRO: This Legislature funded a similar pilot program two years ago in the budget. These programs have a captive audience after school and in the summer because kids love to participate in youth-oriented organizations. There was an attempt to address summer learning loss in several pilot programs. The programs were very successful. In the Tacoma learning-loss program, all of the students were behind grade level when they started. Forty-one percent gained a grade level in reading and 93 percent did not regress. Therefore, we want to create this program permanently in statute so that other organizations can participate.