City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2022
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER /s/
FROM: DANA WEDELES, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES OFFICER, CMO
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Release of Out of School Time Contingency Funds for Study of Demand to Determine Citywide After School Needs.
BODY
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ISSUE: Release of Out of School Time Contingency Funds for study of demand to determine citywide after school needs.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council allocate Contingency Funds in the amount of $60,000 to be transferred to ACT for Alexandria who will manage a consultant conducting a study to determine the demand for after school needs throughout the City.
BACKGROUND: As part of the Approved FY23 budget, City Council approved $400,000 in contingency funding with the intent to supplement existing out-of-school-time programming and support the Youth Support Network. This funding supports a City Council priority to “explore how to expand academic, social, and emotional services and physical supports to all youth during the out-of-school time hours.”
Since approval of the budget, city staff and Act for Alexandria have coordinated on developing a scope of work for a study to assess the demand for after school programming throughout the city. The scope of work includes a survey to all Alexandria City Public School (ACPS) parents to determine where children are currently going after the school day ends, the frequency of after school support needed, and the type of support needed. It also includes follow up focus groups in areas of the city with lower utilization rates of after school programs to better understand barriers, including cost and cultural understanding around childcare.
This scope of work will supplement work that Act for Alexandria had previously planned with the Youth Support Network to conduct a landscape survey of after school providers and programmatic needs for middle school students.
Staff will present the findings of the survey to the public and City Council and the data produced from this work will guide the City and the Youth Support Network in determining the highest and best use of the remaining $340,000 in contingency funding, as outlined in the “Support Youth and Families Business Plan.”
FISCAL IMPACT: This request allocates $60,000 of the $400,000 in FY23 Out of School Time Contingency funds to the City Manager’s Office to transfer to Act for Alexandria.
STAFF:
Debra Collins, Deputy City Manager
Morgan Routt, Director, Office of Management and Budget
Dana Wedeles, Strategic Initiatives Officer