Pennsylvania Mayoral Summits on Out-of-School Time Aim to Keep Kids Safe, Inspire Learning and Help Working Families

City leaders coordinate efforts to address key challenges for youth and families in their communities

TREVOSE, Pa., Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and John Callahan, mayor of Bethlehem will join city and municipal leaders, policymakers, youth development experts, students and advocates from across eastern Pennsylvania for a summit about the importance and need for quality afterschool opportunities for Pennsylvania's children and youth. Organized by Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN), the event will highlight ways integrated civic efforts can offer more opportunities for youth to improve academic performance, develop new skills, consider career or college options, participate on teams and more. More than half a million Pennsylvania children need – but don't have – afterschool programs, even as statewide demand for afterschool programs has increased, according to the "America After 3PM" study.

10 AM Tuesday, September 11
Radisson Hotel Philadelphia Northeast
Route 1 at Old Lincoln Highway, Trevose, Pa.
WITH
Mayor Spencer (Reading)
Mayor Panto (Easton)
Mayor Gray (Lancaster)
Mayor Comitta (West Chester)
Mayor Linder (Chester)
Mayor Villelo (Lock Haven)
Mayor Reiley (Pottsville)

Other city officials, program experts and youth leaders will talk about why afterschool programs are so important to communities, youth and their families. They are: Former Mayor McMahon of Reading; Philadelphia Councilman Dennis O'Brien; Nafis Nichols, Deputy Mayor Chester; Audrey Hutchinson, National League of Cities; Priscilla Little, Wallace Foundation; youth leaders from Bethlehem and Springfield Township; and Kacy Conley, PSAYDN director.

Across the country, city-led efforts are building comprehensive out-of-school time (OST) systems that meet the needs of their communities. These efforts are linking isolated programs within more coordinated citywide networks, bringing disparate stakeholders together to create and advance common strategies, and using research-based approaches to improve program quality and access. Pennsylvania's Mayoral Summits will further this work in the Commonwealth.

The eastern Pennsylvania Mayoral Summit is presented by Best Buy and convened by Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN), PA League of Cities and Municipalities (PLCM), and the National League of Cities. PSAYDN gratefully acknowledges the support of the following organizations and partners Charles S. Mott Foundation, Wallace Foundation and William Penn Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania School Boards Association, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society. The western summit will take place September 21, 2012 in Monroeville, Pa.

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) promotes sustainable, high-quality out-of-school time youth development programs through advocacy and capacity building to enhance the welfare of Pennsylvania's children, youth and families.  More information is available at www.PSAYDN.org.

CONTACT: Aylissa Kiely Tyndale
717/903-0219
[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network