BILL REQ. #:  H-4202.1 

Read first time 01/20/2004.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to after-school programs; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that unsupervised children, when left alone after school, have higher absentee rates at school, lower academic test scores, and higher levels of stress, fear, nightmares, loneliness, and boredom than children who are not left alone after school. Children who are left alone also are more likely to smoke cigarettes and use alcohol than their peers who are not left alone. The legislature further finds that the rate of violent juvenile crime soars in the hours immediately after school, and that children are most likely to be victims of violent crimes committed by people other than family members between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
     The legislature finds that good after-school programs and activities can provide safe and effective learning environments for children who would otherwise be alone and unsupervised after school. The legislature also finds that most Americans believe that children should have access to organized activities after school and that many of them would be willing to support those programs with their taxes.
     The legislature further finds that students who participate in good after-school care programs:
     (1) Miss fewer days of school and have better behavior in school, test scores, grades, and records of homework completion than children who are left alone;
     (2) Spend more time actively learning in a variety of settings and less time watching television than their peers who are left alone; and
     (3) Have better peer relations, emotional adjustment, and conflict resolution skills than children who are left alone.
     Therefore, the legislature intends to direct the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of social and health services to work with the Washington after-school network to develop a statewide vision and strategic plan designed to ensure that quality after-school programs are available to every school-aged child in the state.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The superintendent of public instruction and the department of social and health services, with assistance from and in coordination with the Washington after-school network, shall:
     (1) Assess the state of after-school programs available in the state, including the number of children and youth served through those
programs and the numbers and locations of children and youth who do not have access to such programs;
     (2) Identify the funding sources supporting after-school programs;
     (3) Study model after-school programs operating in the state and nation and identify the components that make the programs effective;
     (4) Develop a statewide vision and strategic plan to coordinate after-school programs at the state and local levels and to ensure the availability of programs for every school-aged child and youth in the state. The plan shall include strategies that promote research-based best practices and shall include input from children and youth; and
     (5) Report to the governor, the house of representatives and senate education committees, the house of representatives children and family services committee, and the senate children and family services and corrections committee by October 31, 2004, on the strategic plan and any findings and recommendations included in the plan.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The superintendent of public instruction and the department of social and health services may provide, by grant or contract, funding to the Washington after-school network for the purposes of section 2 of this act. The agencies may also seek and expend funds from federal, state, and local governmental agencies and private organizations for the purposes of section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.