Through nine years of policy and advocacy work, TASC has had a dramatic effect on the well-being of kids and families in New York City and state who have gained access to high-quality after-school programs.
- In 1999, New York State created its first dedicated funding stream for after-school services, the Advantage AfterSchool Program. Conceived of and promoted by TASC, and based on its program model, the program now provides $28.2 million annually to local community-based organizations for after-school services that demonstrate a strong partnership between community-based organizations (CBOs), schools, youth and families.
- Beginning in 2003, TASC played a key role in the formation of New York City’s Out-of-School-Time initiative, the largest in any city in the nation, which institutionalized many core elements of the TASC program model. The OST program initially was funded as a three-year, $200 million initiative, which supports more than 550 programs free of cost, in every neighborhood across the city. Focusing largely on elements of the TASC framework - most programs are based in schools, operated by CBOs, offer open enrollment and encourage daily attendance and connection to the school day - the OST initiative is a confirmation of the success of TASC’s program model, and a fulfillment of its core mission to make after-school a public responsibility.
- TASC successfully advocated with the New York City Council to secure an annual discretionary grant (currently $3.8 million) to provide after-school services to programs that were not able to obtain OST funds. This expanded after-school access to communities across the city.
- Overall, public funding for after-school programs in New York City has increased from $60 million since TASC’s founding in 1998 to $150 million in 2005.
The TASC program model has also been adopted by the state of New Jersey, serving 13,500 children through the New Jersey After 3 program.
