Accomplishments:
- SCAA led the planning and development of a professional development system for school-age professionals commissioned by the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
- SCAA secured funding from the South Carolina General Assembly to support the network through a proviso as well as increased support of an existing state education appropriation line item entitled, Homework Centers and After School, from $6.9 million to $10.4 million for local providers.
- SCAA formed nine regional and local OST coalitions to expand resources to 21 underserved counties.
- SCAA undertook a five-year sustainability plan.
- SCAA facilitated the first South Carolina Statewide Municipal Leaders Summit to develop action plans for 76 city and school district leaders.
Current Projects and Initiatives:
- SCAA provides and hosts Building the After School Workforce in Rural Areas. This is a project to enhance afterschool programs in rural areas providing five regional trainings coupled with technical assistance to approximately 162 frontline staff serving 8,100 students.
- In collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Education, SCAA will administer a grant process for afterschool programs serving students attending one of South Carolina’s Palmetto Priority Schools.
- SCAA will produce an Annual Statewide Conference for over 600 afterschool providers across South Carolina to introduce the latest techniques and best practice models in health and safety, informal sciences, mathematics and technology as well as resources and education necessary to prevent drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy and juvenile delinquency.
- SCAA continues to facilitate regional trainings on sustainability and strategic planning, coalition building and health and safety curriculum aligned with national and state education standards.
- SCAA coordinated a tri-state summit entitled, Meeting the Needs of Disadvantaged Students in the Afterschool Hours, which brought together leaders and policymakers from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to examine the importance of cross-sector collaboration to meet the needs of disadvantaged youth.