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State Funding to Support Out-of-School Time Programming in Pennsylvania

Out-of-school-time (OST) refers to programs that offer students activities after school and/or during the summer. Despite evidence of significant benefits and a clear demand from families, Pennsylvania has no dedicated state funding to provide OST programming and existing federal funding is insufficient to cover costs. This brief examines Pennsylvania’s growing need for expanded OST programming, summarizes research evidence of the value of OST programming, identifies existing quality standards available to guide investments to high quality OST programs, and reviews how other states provide supplemental funding to OST that could serve as models to policymakers in Pennsylvania.