SCHOOL ACCESS GRANTS FINAL REPORT Increasing Opportunities for Children and Youth to Participate in Critical Hours Programming

SCHOOL ACCESS GRANTS FINAL REPORT Increasing opportunities for children and youth to participate in Critical Hours Programming

August 31, 2012 Prepared by Casey P. Boodt M.Ed on behalf of UpStart: Champions for Children and Youth

Champions for Children and Youth ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Funding for this project was awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Community Spirit June 2009.

UpStart would like to thank the Calgary Board of Education, the Calgary Catholic School District, Rocky View School Division, City of Calgary Recreation, the City of Calgary Community & Neighbourhood Services, The City of Calgary Recreation Services, Sport Calgary (formerly the Calgary Sports Council) Calgary YMCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary and the Access 3-6 Working Committee for making this project the success that it was.

UpStart also would like to acknowledge the participation of the following schools:

Rocky View Schools Crescent Heights Tuscany A.E. Bowers Elementary School Crossing Park Valley View Bearspaw School Douglasdale Vincent Massey Bert Church High School Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert Vista Heights Bow Valley High School Erin Woods Westgate Chestermere High School Ernest Morrow William Aberhart Chestermere Lake Middle School Fish Creek WO Mitchell Crossfield Elementary School Forest Lawn High Cochrane High School Glenbrook École Airdrie Middle Glendale Calgary Catholic School District George McDougall High School Guy Weadick Blessed Kateri Glenbow Elementary School GW Skene Father Doucet Langdon School Huntington Hills Holy Cross Manachaban Middle School Ian Bazalgette Holy Family Meadowbrook Middle School Keeler Holy Redeemer Mitford Middle School Langevin Holy Trinity Muriel Clayton Middle School Lord Beaverbrook John Paul II Nose Creek Elementary School Louis Riel Madeline d’Houet Prairie Waters Elementary School Marlborough Mother Mary Greene R.J. Hawkey Elementary School McKenzie Towne Mother Teresa Rainbow Creek Elementary School MidSun Msg N Anderson Ralph McCall School Mountain Park St. Basil Springbank Community High School Mt. Royal St. Bede Springbank Middle School O.S. Geiger St. Catherine Patrick Airlie St. Cecilia Penbrooke Meadows St. Dominic Calgary Board of Education Pineridge St. Helena Abbeydale Radisson Park St. Jerome Annie Gale Jr. High Ramsay St. Luke Arbour Lake Robert Warren St. Maria Goretti Banting & Best Rosscarrock St. Mark Beddington Heights Rundle St. Monica Bishop Kidd Sherwood St. Peter Bob Edwards Silver Springs St. Phillip Bowcroft Sir James Lougheed St. Rita Cappy Smart Sir John A. McDonald St. Thomas More Cecil Swanson Sir Wilfred Laurier St. William Centennial Sunalta Chaparral Sundance Finally, UpStart would like to thank Clarence Sansom Taradale the principals, program providers CN Gunn Terrace Road and school facility coordinators Colonel Walker Thomas B. Riley for all their work and feedback Connaught Tom Baines provided for this report. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 02 1.0 Introduction 03 2.0 Project Design & Methodology 05 2.1 The Urban Model 06 2.2 The Rural Model 06 2.3 Evaluation of the Project 06 2.4 Objectives and Scope of the Project 07 3.0 Final Project Results 07 3.1 Overall Results 08 3.2 Results for the Urban Model 08 3.2.1 Project Success Working with Systems and Programs 10 3.3 Results for the Rural Model 12 3.3.1 Project Success Working with Systems and Programs 13 3.3.2 Project Cost and Cost-effectiveness 15 3.3.3 Calgary AfterSchool Evaluation Highlights 15 4.0 Project Learnings 16 4.1 Working Collaboratively with Systems 16 4.1.1 Role of the Coordinator 17 4.1.2 Use of Technology to Support Delivery 18 4.2 Community Capacity 18 5.0 Conclusions and Final Results 18 6.0 Recommendations 19 Appendix A: Data Collection Matrix 20 Appendix B: Guiding Principles for the Project 22 Appendix C: Project Success Examples: Interim Progress Report 2011 23 Appendix D: Organizations involved in School Access Grants Project 25 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The School Access Subsidy Project was designed to provide children and youth in Calgary and the area served by Rocky View Schools the opportunity to be involved in positive developmental programs and activities during “critical hours” or “out of school time.” By providing subsidized rates for school rentals during evenings, weekends and holidays, the project was seeking to increase opportunities for children and youth to engage in positive relationships with adults, developing the skills and assets that will improve their life course. Specifically the funding was used to:

➔ Reduce the school cost recovery fees of single caretaker schools when these facilities are available to rent – evenings, weekends and holidays.

➔ Increase access to school facilities for service providers and local clubs, creating new and additional opportunities for underserved children and youth to be involved in positive cultural and recreational activities.

The project was successful not only increasing access to “critical hours programming” but it also has shown that the provision of a subsidy, utilizing a sliding scale, and implemented through a school access coordinator is a cost effective way to ensure that all children and youth have access to programs not only after the school bell rings but also during the evenings, weekends and holidays.

Cost savings due to receiving a subsidy to those providing programs range from $150,000 – $300,000 on an annual basis and have allowed for approximately 2,300 more hours of programming on an annual basis.

In addition to being cost effective, access to rental subsidies for community groups, clubs and service providers has allowed for the provision of:

➔ A total of 19,966 hours of programming in 22 schools across four communities throughout the Rocky View School Division and throughout 93 schools across Calgary.

➔ A total of 400 programs that served 14,659 children and youth.

In addition, results from the ongoing evaluation of Calgary AfterSchool (CAS) programming1 reveals that:

➔ CAS AfterSchool programs are attracting children and youth who did not previously participate in afterschool programming and some kids continue to participate year after year.

➔ CAS AfterSchool programs succeed in improving friendships and social skills for both children and youth.

➔ Engagement in community significantly increased for kids in junior and senior high school, as well as increases in volunteering at school; and,

➔ Leadership opportunities, such as serving as a team leader, captain etc., significantly increased for kids in elementary school

The collaborative approach that was used to implement the project has revealed that:

➔ The capacity and infrastructure exists to sustain the provision of critical hours programming after 6 p.m., weekends and holidays, as well as the hours of 3 – 6 p.m. throughout the school week in both the urban and rural settings.

➔ The incremental costs associated with this practice are negligible and if a ready source of subsidy funds were available on a regular basis this practice could be sustained in both the urban and rural settings.

1 2011 Calgary Afterschool Evaluation Highlights (March 2012). City of Calgary Family and Community Support Services. Guyn Cooper Research Associates Ltd. Accessed from http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Documents/cas/evaluation_executive_summary_2011.pdf 3

The project has also been successful in influencing the systems involved so that the potential exists for a more coordinated and intentional approach to making facilities and programs accessible to children and youth during the critical hours. Specifically, the learnings derived over the course of this project have been used to:

➔ Develop a new booking model for public use access in the newly opened P3 Schools in Calgary in the fall of 2011 that will allow priority access for minors before 8 p.m.

➔ Inform a public engagement process to examine how public use space and time is currently being allocated to ensure the right space is being used by the right groups, at the right time.

➔ Explore facility improvements in terms of safety features and accessibility in the rural communities so that increased community usage can be offered.

➔ Maximize Rocky View School Division school usage, with targeted focus on community partner programs and clubs with little or zero cost (e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs; Brownies; Cub Scouts).

➔ Reduce the current cost absorbed by Rocky View School Division school budget to enable community use of school facilities.

Finally, there is strong agreement and acknowledgement among all of the stakeholders involved in this project regarding the need to keep the importance of critical hours programming at the forefront of the community and policy- makers. It is vital the project stakeholder groups continue to collaboratively work together and enable the development of the infrastructure and system networks required to support critical hours programming as an integral component of how communities can come together to support their children and youth to be successful in school and life.

Based on these results and findings, it is recommended that UpStart:

➔ Continue to partner with the Calgary AfterSchool, Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services, Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Board of Education and the City of Calgary Recreation Services to implement the project within the City of Calgary and provide subsidies to service providers, groups and clubs for the provision of critical hours programming in city schools.

➔ Continue to work with the systems involved to fully articulate the operating model and principles for the provision of critical hours programming in schools.

➔ Continue to explore other possible sources of funding and work with the Ministries of Education, Human Services and Culture and Community Spirit to sustain the practice of rental subsidy for accessing school space.

1.0 INTRODUCTION The School Access Grants Project has its foundations in community consultations and research2 that were initiated by United Way of Calgary and Area, the Calgary Children’s Initiative and then subsequently led by UpStart: Champions for Children and Youth. These consultations identified school rental costs in the Calgary area as a significant barrier for those hoping to provide safe and constructive activities for children and youth during out of school time. The combination of rental fees and the fact that many schools are operational only during the time when students are in school means some community schools are empty in the evenings and on weekends and holidays while local children and youth have nothing to do. Service providers, local clubs and cultural groups are willing to work in these communities but they know the costs could not reasonably be recovered by child and youth participants and while school boards are supportive in allowing community access to schools, they must also be able to recover the costs associated with that access.

2 Current Facilities Landscape: Child and Youth Recreation and Leisure Access in Calgary. Calgary Children’s Initiative. United Way of Calgary and Area 2007 4

While exact numbers are difficult to produce, feedback from UpStart stakeholders also suggested the number of children and youth engaged in constructive, organized activities after school, during the evenings and on weekends could be significantly improved. In Calgary, this is particularly true for older, lower-income neighbourhoods where accessible space for cultural, leisure and recreation activities is often inadequate. In the Rocky View district, with few alternatives, improving access to schools during non-school hours is the only feasible way to engage rural children and youth in safe developmental activities. Facilities remain unused and rental fees are considered the primary barrier in rural areas.

At the time of application, the City of Calgary had made a $3.3M annual investment in critical hours programming, with a focus on the after school hours of 3 – 6 p.m. It was felt that directing provincial funding to address the rental cost issue would complement the city investment and create a continuum of critical hours opportunities for children and youth during all their out of school time.

The term “critical hours” is used in the research literature to describe “out of school time” – including before and after school, evenings, weekends and holidays. The term is used because research shows these are times when children will make “critical” choices to become engaged in either positive or negative activities – with significant long term implications.

Critical hours programming can include a wide range of developmental, cultural and recreational activities for children and youth and often vary by location, timing and intent. They share the common purpose of creating safe and nurturing environments with positive adult role models where children and youth can be supported and challenged to build new skills and competencies; the very foundation of healthy child and youth development.

There is a strong case to be made for engaging our children and youth in safe, organized activities outside of school time. The benefits of child and youth engagement during the critical hours are very well documented in the research. Canada’s National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth shows “children who participate in organized activities outside of school such as arts, clubs, sports, or music, have higher self-esteem, interact better with friends and perform somewhat better in school.” At the same time, research on Calgary’s serious young offenders shows that less than 10 percent of these youth have ever participated in an organized cultural, recreational or sporting activity.

In addition to the benefits that will be derived by children and youth being engaged in critical hours there are also benefits that flow from working collaboratively with community and the school systems to open up their space to public use. Collaboration of key stakeholders in this area can contribute to the strategic distribution of funds and the identification of facilities that can be utilized to address community issues. Making school space available after hours can increase the use of school facilities by targeted neighbourhoods and communities and communities will come to see and use schools as hubs of positive community engagement as opposed to sites of education.

Based on the above, the key benefits associated with the implementation of this project were as follows:

➔ Reduction of the cost barrier for child and youth program use of school facilities.

➔ Enhanced opportunities for children and youth reduces high risk behaviours.

➔ Increased public awareness of the values of community use of school facilities.

➔ Effective utilization of existing public infrastructures.

➔ Greater co-operation between district school boards, municipalities and non-profit community groups regarding the use of school facilities. 5

2.0 PROJECT DESIGN & METHODOLOGY The intent of this project was to provide children and youth in Calgary and the area served by Rocky View School District the opportunity to be involved in positive developmental programs and activities during “critical hours” or “out of school time.” By reducing the fees charged to rent schools during evenings, weekends and holidays it was felt the funding would significantly expand opportunities to engage children and youth in positive relationships with adults, so that they have the opportunity to develop the skills and assets that research shows will improve their life course.

It was felt an investment of $1.5M for a two-year pilot project would allow children, youth and service providers to increase their use of school facilities at reduced rates when schools are available for rental purposes – evenings, weekends and holidays.

UpStart would be the convening body responsible for the application of funding and then managing the project to completion. UpStart also provided funding for the evaluation of the project to ensure there would be results available for ongoing learning and advocacy for critical hours programming and community school collaboration.

Prior to application for funding, the UpStart project lead had already been working with key stakeholders in the community to identify needs and do preliminary planning. Upon notice that the funding was forthcoming the project lead met with the coordinators for both areas and began to create a plan and strategy for rolling out the school access grants.

A steering committee was struck that included representatives from Calgary Catholic School District, Calgary Board of Education, Rocky View School District, Sport Calgary (formerly the Calgary Sports Council), City of Calgary Recreation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary and the Calgary YMCA. Membership was predicated on each member’s role within their respective organizations so the committee would truly be a working committee and be able to solve issues as they arose.

Over a series of meetings, the committee met to determine criteria and a selection process that would ensure the following objectives were met over the course of the project. Specifically, the funding would be used to:

➔ Reduce the school cost recovery fees of single caretaker schools when these facilities are available to rent – evenings, weekends and holidays.

In addition to identifying project objectives, the committee also developed a set of guiding principles which would ensure the right kind of programming would be available to those children and youth, community groups, service providers and local clubs that were most in need (See Appendix B).

To ensure there would be uptake of the opportunity, a communication strategy was developed that included human interest stories and personal examples and illustrations of the anticipated benefits. Media was provided with contacts and quotes from leaders in education, the Calgary Police Service, child and youth program providers and local parents. In addition, a strategy was developed to inform neighbourhoods, service providers and community groups about programming opportunities and the funding in targeted communities. 6

2.1 THE URBAN MODEL

The urban model was designed to work within the City of Calgary and with a targeted number of schools that were operating with a single caretaker. In consultation with the school boards it was determined these schools were located in underserved areas and that one of the barriers to access was the cost associated with paying the caretaker to keep the school open for programming.

To facilitate the rolling out of the grants, a School Access Coordinator was seconded through City of Calgary Recreation. The School Access Coordinator played a key role in identifying and providing support to community groups requiring space, liaising with school principals regarding space and working with community programmers regarding the types of programming needed.

The funding model utilized within this setting was based on full cost recovery of the monies required to have school caretakers present while programming was offered. The amount of subsidy provided was determined using a sliding scale and based on the needs of the organization. Grassroots organizations, with no revenue generation or outside funding (e.g. community based cultural groups who provide free programming), received a full subsidy. Human service providers that offer free programming for children and youth were subsidized at 70 percent. Minor sport and dance groups were subsidized at 50 percent.

2.2 THE RURAL MODEL

While the rural model operated under the same objectives identified for the project, the issues being addressed were somewhat different in that the schools in Rocky View were currently subsidizing programs afterschool (from 3 – 6) and making schools available to the community on a cost-recovery basis during the critical hours.

What this resulted in is an annual deficit regarding their afterschool programming and underserved and isolated populations not having access to schools in the critical hours as those members of the community who could pay were buying up all the time.

The rural model also utilized a coordinator position, seconded from the Rocky View School Division Collaborative Initiatives. The program coordinator was responsible for liaising with the school facilities booking agents in each of the schools throughout the Rocky View School Division and the community groups and organizations providing afterschool programming.

The funding model utilized within this setting was similar to the urban model focusing on need and type of programming offered and differed only in that groups who were registered users of Rocky View School Division Schools were not charged for the first seven uses of any available school space. After the allotted sessions were utilized the sliding scale took effect and if a group was deemed high-needs and providing a program during critical hours, they were granted an hourly rental rate of $5. For the groups not deemed high-needs and more of an elective program, they were granted an hourly rental rate of $7. Finally, if a group was not registered under the RVS policy, the rate defaulted to $15/hr for classrooms and $21/hr for gymnasiums (e.g. community youth soccer, etc.).

2.3 EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT

The evaluation design for the project was based on the key benefits identified in Schedule “A” of the funding agreement. In collaboration with the steering committee the pertinent evaluation questions were developed and a data collection matrix was designed (See appendix A) that would guide the collection of data over the course of the project. 7

The matrix identifies questions having to do with success of the project and questions dealing with implementation and delivery. Data was collected on an ongoing basis by the coordinators for both the rural and urban model and the results of their efforts were regularly discussed at the monthly meetings of the steering committee and documented in project journals. In addition, coordinators also provided a yearly summary of programs and numbers of children and youth participating.

2.4 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

As mentioned previously, the intent of this project was to:

➔ Reduce the school cost-recovery fees of single caretaker schools when these facilities are available to rent – evenings, weekends and holidays.

As such, the project was not focusing as much on the outcomes derived by children and youth participating in afterschool programming, as it was on ensuring the systems involved worked well together and that those service providers and local clubs who may not be able to access schools due to cost were able to access school facilities so that programming would be available to those children and youth who would not otherwise have access.

In light of the above, this report will focus more on the successes associated with the provision of school subsidy grants and the learnings derived from working with multiple systems within communities. It should be noted that while this report does not focus on outcomes from children and youth participating in programs, it is the case that the programs that were operating in both the rural and the urban models were collecting outcome information from their participants as a condition of their program funding.

3.0 FINAL PROJECT RESULTS The data and information provided in this final report is for three full school years (2009 – 2010; 2010 – 2011; and, 2011 – 2012). The original funding request was for two years and was based on a fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. As the strategy involved providing programming during the entire school year and holidays, a request was made to the Ministry to amend the original funding agreement to reflect a school calendar year. This request was granted in March 2010 and the project was slated to be completed June 2011.

After the results of the first year were in, it became clear there would be enough funding to operate both the urban and rural model until the end of the 2010 – 2011 school year and there would be enough monies left to either run a scaled down version of subsidized programming in both models or to run full scale in only one of the models for another full school year.

Based on the fact the rural model could continue to run under the original funding model being maintained by the Rocky View School Division, it was decided that, pending approval of the Ministry, the project would continue to provide subsidies to programs and groups in the urban model. A request to extend the project to the end of the 2012 school year was made to the Ministry and was granted November 2010.

The project proposal was accepted in May of 2009 and the funds for the project came through in August 2009. The project initiated implementation in September of 2009.The budget that had been designed for the project identified two lump sum payments from the provincial government of $750,000.00 per annum. Prior to implementation, this amount had been divided between the urban and rural model with $550,000 per annum going to the urban model and $200,000 per annum going to the rural model 8

After the results were analyzed for the first year of implementation the budgets for each of the models were revised to reflect the anticipated performance of each of the models. The budgets were reworked with the project lead from UpStart, presented to the committee for approval and the project proceeded on the agreement that the subsidy funds would be evenly split between the rural and urban models.

In addition to modifying the budgets to reflect the needs and performance of each of the models it was also decided to broaden the eligibility criteria for the school access grants to include programs being implemented through Calgary AfterSchool (CAS). Beginning in the fall of 2010, CAS programs were able to apply for school access grants and provide programming in identified schools.

To further facilitate the decision to make CAS programs eligible for school access grants, the representatives from both school boards re-examined the costing assumptions being utilized for the cost recovery of utilization of school space and were able to come up with a flat fee model for the hours of 3 – 6 and which would be applicable to the CAS programs operating in that time frame. The application of this flat fee ($25 for the 3 – 6 time period) further enhanced the ability of the project to reach both of its primary objectives.

3.1 OVERALL RESULTS

At the close of the project June 30, 2012, access to rental subsidies for community groups, clubs and service providers has allowed for the provision of:

➔ A total of 19,699 hours of programming in 22 schools across four communities throughout the Rocky View School Division and throughout 93 schools across Calgary.

➔ Subsidies were provided to 400 programs that served over 14,659 children and youth.

➔ Over 2,500 hours of programming was provided by CAS programs for the 3 – 6 hour time period

➔ The total amount of subsidies provided equals $920,118; with the urban model providing a total of $489,785 dollars in subsidies and the rural model providing a total of $430,333 dollars in subsidies.

3.2 RESULTS FOR THE URBAN MODEL

As mentioned above, the urban model utilized a School Access Coordinator who was responsible for liaising with schools, community groups, clubs and service providers to ensure programming would be implemented in targeted schools. The schools initially targeted were single caretaker schools in areas of the city with the greatest need, but as the project gained momentum and popularity, school boards were able to provide access to more schools throughout Calgary.

As can be seen in the table below, uptake in the first school year (Sept 2009 – June 2010) was quite low. Reasons for this had to do with receiving the monies for subsidies after the program planning cycle had been completed for service providers, capacity of service providers to ramp up additional programming in a short period of time and the need for clear lines of collaboration and communication with the Calgary AfterSchool initiative, which was being implemented at the same time the school access grants were being made available. 9

Table 1: Overview of results by school term

Winter/ Winter/ Winter/ Spring Summer Fall Spring Summer Fall Spring Key Outputs 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2012

# of programs 20 5 63 127 5 62 57 # of hours 346.5 229 2,023 4,651 290 2,751.5 2,468 # of participants 387 150 1,340 2,395 158 1,551 1,578

Total Subsidy $21,726 $11,814 $85,499 $190,582 $10,573 $77,121 $92,470

Once these areas were addressed however, there was a steady increase in requests for subsidies. The reduction in the total number of hours and participants in the 2011 – 2012 school year was due to the reduced amounts of subsidy monies available for the last year of the project. To date, the urban model has provided over $489,785 in subsidies to 339 programs in 93 schools throughout Calgary.

An examination of the level of subsidies provided over the course of the first two years reveals the majority of subsidies granted (67 percent) were at the 70 percent level and 33 percent were at the 100 percent level.

Table 2 below provides an overview of the types of programming provided along with the numbers of hours children and youth were participating in these activities. Table 2: Total hours of school rentals by programming

Type of programming provided Total # of rental hours

Sport – skills 5,048 AfterSchool programs 2,508 Culturally-based programs 2,204 Multi-sport 991 Clubs 690 Art/Dance/Musical/Visual 689 Educational programs 200 Day camp 210 Martial arts 139 Family events 33

Total weeknight hours 7,050 Total weekend hours 5,662

Total subsidized rental hours 12,712

As can be seen in the above table, there were 12,712 hours of programming provided during weeknight hours and weekends, which allowed 7,559 children and youth to participate in a range of pro-social and developmentally appropriate activities during the critical hours that research has shown contribute to positive outcomes for children and youth. 10

3.2.1 Project Success Working with Systems and Programs In addition to increasing access to school facilities and getting more children and youth into critical hours programming, we have seen a number of project successes that range across systems and show how the urban model was operating to maximize the utilization of available school space so that more children and youth were participating in programming during the critical hours.

In the interim progress report examples of how the project has been successful in creating new opportunities for underserved populations; ensuring that community needs for programming was able to be provided; and how having a process in place to administer school access grants ensured that facilities were being properly utilized were presented (for details see Appendix C). The following examples are from the 2011 – 2012 school year and highlight project success in working with systems and programs.

Somali-Canadian Community in Calgary In the fall of 2009 the Somali Canadian Society of Calgary (SCSC) was referred to the School Access Coordinator through Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services as a group who were in desperate need of a facility for their youth to play basketball. The School Access Coordinator was able to secure space at an inner city school for SCSC starting in January 2010. A proposal was then developed by SCSC entitled “Afterschool and Social Recreation Programs: Training Youth Volunteers as Role Models and Mentors” and was initially circulated to various organizations. The main purpose of the proposal was:

“...to develop sustainable and reliable support networks in the form of skilled role models and competent leaders within the youth population. The role models/ leaders would undertake a well coordinated and focused plan of action to connect with those who are at risk of developing anti-social behaviours that could jeopardize their vitality and well-being to become active participants in building a society where everyone belongs”.

A network of service providers and community members was formed, and through this network, the number of organizations running programs in Calgary schools for Somali children and youth grew from one (i.e., SCSC) to four in one calendar year (i.e., SCSC, Somali International Youth Board, Somali Youth League, and Somali Women’s Social Services Society).

The financial support received through the UpStart School Access Grants was invaluable to these organizations, and without it, it is likely that this community would not be able to address some of the issues they are facing. As grassroots organizations, the School Access Coordinator was able to help navigate municipal systems, as well as linking members to existing service providers to support programming.

Since the initial network meeting, in partnership with the University of Calgary, a needs assessment of the Somali- Canadian community in Calgary has been initiated. Identified through surveys and focus groups, the strengths of the community include: cultural and religious pride; basketball; soccer; cooking; family and community oriented. Current needs and issues in the community include: girls/ women only recreational activities; youth programs and resources; youth transitioning to adulthood as well as different culture; limited education and employment. Stardale Stardale Women’s Foundation has developed and implemented self-development programs using creative processes, such as dance and modelling, to educate the girls in matters of self esteem, building skill sets in 11

cooperation, and learning how to perform in public setting. The proactive interventions empower the Aboriginal girls to overcome systematic barriers and internalisation of lower standards of wellness, achievement, education, and employability by providing classroom educational opportunities as well as skills-training and strategies for healthy choice-making. The program however, has always struggled with finding an affordable and accessible place.

Working with the school access coordinator, the Stardale girls were able to find a home at Connaught School, in the Beltline area of downtown Calgary. The space is easily accessible from all areas of the city, and provides a bright welcoming environment. The girls recently presented an art, hooping and theatre performance at the Trans Canada building during a lunch hour. They showcased the hard skills (in theatre and hooping) as well as great confidence in front of a large public crowd. Many of the girls in this program are currently rehearsing and will be performing at the Calgary International Children’s Festival in the Little Theatre. The play is entitled 1001 Calgary Nights.

“In a new adaptation, the Thousand and One Arabian Nights stories are re-set in a mythical Canadian west. Calgary’s finest actors share the stage with youth from a wide range of social, economic, and racial backgrounds to tell the tale of Aladdin, an orphan battling loss and destiny, while questing after a mythical prairie bird. Full of magic and puppets, adventure and tragedy, 1001 Calgarian Nights fills the stage with genies, wild creatures, and thousands of rubber bouncy balls.”

Vista Heights Action Group In a performing arts program for children in grades 3 – 7, children learned all elements of the performing arts including art, dance, singing and acting. The program was offered free of charge and led by volunteer community residents and supported by other parent volunteers.

The second year of the Vista Heights Performing Arts Club wrapped up with the gala performance on Saturday, May 12th. The program was called “Leaders of Yesteryear and Tomorrow” and similar to the previous year, the participants were involved in the development of all elements of performance with art, videography, dance, singing, acting prop and costume design.

The program had a very successful second year and although there were somewhat fewer youth participants, the number of parent volunteers has increased. Vista Heights remains a somewhat transient community so some turnover is to be expected; however, many children who participated last year returned to the program. This program was again offered free of charge which is important to many of the families who are living on low incomes. Vista Heights is a geographically isolated community with few amenities or children’s programs, so the use of Vista Heights School was imperative to the success of the program as it allowed those families who have no transportation to access the program. Vista School was an ideal space as the gym was large enough to accommodate all the performing arts elements, such as dancing and acting as well as space for parent meetings.

A very positive outcome of the program was that relationships between parents and between the participants were created and enhanced. Parents again reported that the program significantly enhanced skills and confidence in their children. Many participants reported that they would like to return and many other children who saw the final performance expressed excitement at the possibility that they may be old enough to participate next year. A significant positive change in the program was that because there were more parent volunteers, only nominal support by paid services providers was required. The Performing Arts Club was a positive collaboration between resident based community groups (Crossroads Community Association and the Vista Heights Action Committee who offered financial support and was enhanced by the contributions of staff from Aspen Family Services, Antyx Community Arts and the City of Calgary, Community and Neighbourhood Services. 12

3.3 RESULTS FOR THE RURAL MODEL

The rural model had a similar design to the urban model but with a few significant differences. While the rural model also utilized a coordinator position, the program coordinator in the rural model was primarily responsible for liaising with the school facilities booking agents in each of the schools throughout the Rocky View School Division. The other major difference in the rural model was that the school facilities in question were already being utilized by groups who could afford to pay for the space that was available.

While these differences created some logistical issues that did not have to be dealt with in the urban model, they did not stand in the way of the project having a real impact on underserved children and youth obtaining access to the after-school programming that began to be offered in school facilities across the Rocky View School Division.

As can be seen in Table 3 below, uptake in the first year of the project was considerably greater than what was seen in the urban model. The primary reason for this was that in the urban model space was being made available and programming had to be essentially recruited so the space could be utilized. Table 3: Overview of results by school term

Key Sept. 2009/ Apr. – Sept. Oct. 2010/ Apr. – June Outputs Mar. 2010 2010 Mar. 2011 2011

# of programs 29 28 38 20 # of hours 2,847 987 2,119 678 # of participants 1,088 2,076 2,643 1,301

Total Subsidy $199,684 $65,360 $125,504 $39,786

Over the course of the project the rural model was able to provide a total of $430,333 in subsidies to 115 programs in 22 schools throughout the Rocky View School Division.

An analysis of how the subsidies were distributed in the Rural Model shows that in year one of the project, school access grants were awarded for 39 percent or 2,847 hours of the 7,200 rental hours available. In year two of the project, this increased to 57 percent or 4,140 of the 7,200 rental hours available.

“The subsidy has been a God-send for us. It allows us to provide more programming for more kids and actually allows us to reach kids in other communities as well. I hope the subsidy continues because we are seeing the need for programming in the communities we work in.”

The rural model gathered and reported on project information on a quarterly basis based on a fiscal year. 13

Table 4 below provides an overview of the types of programming provided, along with the numbers of hours children and youth were participating in these activities. These programs provided 6,987 hours of programming for over 7,100 children and youth to participate in a range of pro-social and developmentally appropriate activities that research has shown contribute to positive outcomes for children and youth. Table 4: Total hours of school rentals by programming type

Type of programming provided Total # of rental hours

Sport 2,725 Clubs 3,633 Theatre 349 Skill-based 280

Total subsidized rental hours 6,987

3.3.1 Project Success Working with Systems and Programs Much like the urban model, in addition to getting more children and youth into critical hours programming, there has also been an impact on how systems work with programs to ensure children and youth have access to critical hours programming. The following examples provide some highlights of project success in working with systems and programs.

In the North Rocky View region of Airdrie, school facility utilization historically runs at approximately 90 percent. However, minor sport associations dominate the after-hours usage due to facility shortages for indoor soccer. The UpStart School Access Grants Project launched at an opportune time for the Airdrie community as Genesis Place opened Phase II, which offered a new indoor soccer facility to support the region. The movement of minor soccer teams into Genesis Place opened up space for new service providers to offer programs in schools. With UpStart subsidizing, new child and youth-focused programs were enabled to immediately begin offering a wider range of programming to the neighbourhoods and families in the community.

Working with the Airdrie Boys & Girls Club and the school administration of Meadowbrook Middle, the Program Coordinator was able to identify space for the Boys & Girls Club to offer lunch-hour and Friday “early-dismissal” drop-in, recreation and activity programs for students grades 4 – 8. This was a new offering within the Rocky View School Division and was subsequently duplicated at other schools to target the Friday early-dismissal time frame – “Critical Hours.”

In the initial stages of implementation, it became clear schools in the rural communities of Rocky View have a harder time filling their facilities with programs. This is due to multiple factors such as transportation, service provider accessibility, affordable programs to families, communication of program availability and supervision/caretaking of facilities. Working with the systems and people involved however, the project was able to realize the project objectives.

In the community of Langdon, for example, the Program Coordinator, working with the Head Building Operator, was able to influence local soccer clubs to begin offering indoor soccer clinics and team practices. Historically, these groups had been unable to access the local school as they did not have the funds to cover the rental fees. The provision of school access grants, over the fall, winter and spring months, opened up the space in the Langdon gym to support local child and youth soccer programs, not previously available to this community.

In the community of Crossfield, working with the Head Building Operator, a summer camp opportunity was identified as an upcoming need for this small community. With the provision of school access grants, the children’s summer camp was able to leverage this resource and, in addition to offering affordable summer programming for families, they were able to hire additional staff and provide equipment for enhanced programs. 14

In addition to facilitating access to school space for sports and summer programs, school access grants have also had an impact on local clubs. Once it became known that subsidies were available for accessing school space, Brownies, Cubs, Beavers, Scouts, Cadets, Guides and Sparks clubs from across the entire Rocky View School Division applied for subsidies. Clubs have been placed in Langdon, Airdrie, Chestermere and Springbank. Previously, most of these programs operated in donated community space, not adequately housing the group sizes and restricting the range of programming that could be provided.

“The school subsidy grant project has been a boon for myself and especially the kids in my school. Prior to programs having access to a subsidy it was difficult for both the school and the programs to effectively provide programs within the school setting. With the implementation of the Access 3-6 Protocol all I have to do is provide an ok and everything else is taken care of. Programming for the vulnerable kids in my school is so important and now that programs have access to a subsidy it makes it much easier to get those programs into the school and address those needs.”

Small facility improvements to allow improved utilization of Rocky View School Divison facilities have been uncovered and identified throughout year one and into year two. One improvement worth noting is the assessment of schools to determine which may offer increased community usage with the installation of gates/doors to block off the main arteries of the school facilities and cordon off public areas for after hours use. Three schools have proposals in process to begin the planning for installation of gates/doors over the summer and into September. These will effectively, enhance usage by providing school space with fewer requirements for caretaking and janitorial services, while also ensuring safety and security of facilities.

“Metis Calgary Family Services had been looking for space to offer an Aboriginal Cultural Awareness program in the south area of the city in close proximity to the Tsuu T’ina reserve. A temporary location was acquired at a local community centre, however the rental costs were quite prohibitive. Operating on a limited budget, MCFS was encouraged to submit an Access 3-6 application and an UpStart Facility Rental application to Calgary AfterSchool. A meeting was arranged between the Director of Facility Operation (CBE), the school principal, CAS and the program operator to discuss possibilities and options. The meeting concluded with programming space secured in the drama room four days per week as well as storage space to accommodate drumming equipment. Little Thunderbird is now in its second year of operation at the same school location. In a recent CAS collaborative meeting, the program operator reported, ‘The support we receive from the school is amazing.’”

Finally, prior to the implementation of the School Access Grant Project, the booking of school space was a paper and pencil process and restricted to local schools, making it extremely difficult to know what space was available in which school across the region. As an adjunct to the provision of school access grants Rocky View School Division implemented new software (School Dude) that allowed for the centralization of booking school space. For the first time, Rocky View School Division has a single tool to collect all community activity in all the schools and offer a community calendar, improving efficiencies and collaboration amongst schools and service providers. 15

3.3.2 Project Cost and Cost Effectiveness The total amount of subsidies provided for community groups, clubs and service providers through the project equaled $920,118; with the urban model providing a total of $489,785 in subsidies, and the rural model providing a total of $430,333 in subsidies. The operating cost for the urban model was approximately $100,000 per year for a total of $300,000 over the course of the project3. Operating costs for the rural model were approximately $136,000 per year for a total of $273,000 for the two years that the rural model was operating.

The School Access Grant project was able to provide a total of 19,966 hours of programming. Prior to availability of the subsidy and the sliding scale that was utilized, this amount of programing would have cost between $1.3 and $1.9 million dollars based on rental rates ranging from $70 – 100/hr. At these regular rates, the $920,118 in subsidies would have provided approximately 9,200 – 13,140 hours of programing depending on the applicable rate.

With the subsidy in place and the use of a sliding scale, the project was able to provide approximately 7,000 more hours of programming, and provided cost savings to programs between $150,000 – $300,000 on an annual basis.

Based on these calculations, providing a subsidy for critical hours programming to be provided in schools is a cost effective way to ensure that children and youth have access to quality programs not only after the school bell rings, but also during the evenings, weekends and holidays.

3.3.3 Calgary After School Evaluation Highlights As mentioned in the Objectives and Scope of the Project (Section 2.4) the School Access Grants Project was focused on implementation of the subsidy and therefore the reporting of outcome information was not a mandatory component of receiving a subsidy grant. However, as the majority of programs were collecting outcome information in the context of receiving funding from Calgary AfterSchool (CAS), the latest evaluation results from the ongoing evaluation of CAS are presented as evidence that afterschool programming is having a positive impact of children and youth participating in this type of programing. Results presented in the latest evaluation report for Calgary AfterSchool4 reveals that:

➔ CAS programming is equally accessible to girls and boys, as 50 percent of CAS participants are girls and 50 percent are boys.

➔ CAS programming is doing an outstanding job of attracting ethno-culturally diverse populations. 59 percent of CAS participants identified themselves as members of ethnocultural minority groups, and seven percent self- identified as Aboriginal.

➔ The percentage of children in grades 4 to 6 who felt that they could talk to a mentor, coach, or program leader increased from 27 percent to 43 percent over the course of CAS participation.

➔ Foreign-born youth in grades 7 to 12 reported a large decrease in how often they were bullied or harassed at school over the course of CAS participation.

➔ CAS programs succeed in improving friendships and social skills for both children and youth.

As can be seen from the above, afterschool programming is not only effective in engaging underserved populations but this type of programming is having positive results in terms of positively influencing pro-social behaviours such as friendships and seeking out positive role models, as well as reducing negative behaviours such as bullying and harassment from peers.

3 Complete budgetary details including subsidy amounts and operating costs were provided under separate cover to Alberta Culture: Lottery Fund Information Liaison. 4 2011 Calgary AfterSchool Evaluation Highlights (March 2012). City of Calgary Family and Community Support Services. Guyn Cooper Research Associates Ltd. Accessed from http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Documents/cas/evaluation_highlights_2011.pdf 16

4.0 PROJECT LEARNINGS The School Access Grants Project has generated significant information and insight regarding how systems can better work together. As well, information regarding how the community interacts with larger systems such as schools and service providers in the community is now available. The following sections outline learnings in each critical aspect of the project.

4.1 WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH SYSTEMS

The impetus for this project was anchored in research which showed school facilities in Calgary were not utilized as much as they could be and one of the many barriers that stood in the way of school access was the cost associated with renting the space available. From the beginning of the project it was evident that in order to make in-roads regarding this situation the project, if successful, would not only need support from senior leadership of the school boards, but it would also need to work with those systems within the school boards that managed and operated the school facilities.

Through its Council of Champions5, UpStart had secured initial interest and tacit agreement for participation in the project from both school boards and identified the personnel that would be involved if the project was successful in obtaining funding.

The project design included a steering committee designed to be truly collaborative in that each member that sat on the committee would be responsible for either providing resources, such as programming in the case of Sport Calgary, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary, Calgary YMCA and subsequently Calgary AfterSchool, or addressing barriers to implementation and providing direction on how best to work with the systems involved in the case of the school boards.

In the initial planning stages the committee also included representatives from both boards in the area of learning and instruction which facilitated the identification of the kinds and types of programming that would be most suitable for children and youth.

The inclusion of the Director of Facility Operations from the Calgary Board of Education and the Manager for Business Services for the Calgary Catholic School District, along with the subsequent inclusion of the Manager of Children and Youth Services for the City of Calgary, has proven to be one of the key success factors for this project. The representatives from the school boards played a critical role in identifying schools where programming was needed and, where necessary, liaised with school principals and or caretakers, which paved the way for coordinators to facilitate the implementation of programs in schools.

5 UpStart’s Council of Champions consists of community leaders from all aspects of the community that are committed to ensuring all Calgary’s children and youth achieve their full potential. Among these “champions” are the Chief Superintendent of Schools for both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District. 17

“Prior to having the Access 3-6 Protocol in place, my school could only provide a very limited amount of after school programming. With the protocol in place and the programs having access to the subsidy, we are now able to provide programming from 3 – 6 throughout the week, on select nights of the week, and occasionally on the weekends. As a result of this project, I am seeing children more involved in their communities and we are even seeing kids from other communities involved in our after school programming. The Access 3-6 Protocol has not only freed up my time in terms of administration but has also freed up staff resources that previously would have been utilized to support after school programming and provided the assurance that the programs being provided in my school are quality programs and are meeting the needs of our children.”

In addition to the above, school boards also played a trouble-shooting role within their own systems. As they worked in collaboration with the coordinators they were able to:

➔ Open the doors for investigating barriers for groups and service providers to program in schools such as the need for liability insurance.

➔ Work with and influence school principals and school based administrators on the need for a streamlined and enhanced process for having critical hours programming implemented in schools.

➔ Ensure school board resources remained focused on their primary educational mandate.

➔ Work together to come up with a flat fee for accessing schools from 3 – 6 and facilitated the discussion and final decision to pilot a set fee for accessing schools from 3 – 6.

The representative for Calgary AfterSchool facilitated greater awareness of the availability of school access grants within the network of services and communities they are involved in, provided access to a wider array of programs needed within schools and was instrumental in identifying system barriers that required redress as the project was implemented.

4.1.1 Role of the Coordinator While having key decision-makers involved in the planning and implementation has proven to be one the critical success factors, the role of the coordinator can be considered as the other critical key component as to why this project has achieved the success it has.

Both the rural model and the urban model utilized a coordinator position to facilitate the identification of programming and the allocation of space within schools. Without this coordinating function, programs were relying on ad-hoc relationships with principals and other avenues such as Calgary AfterSchool to utilize space within schools.

The coordinator position has also opened up a line of sight and communication for those who manage facilities, allowing for real time feedback and adjustments that facilitate enhanced utilization of available school space.

Feedback provided by programmers in the urban model and site planners in the rural model stressed the importance of this role and how having this position actually facilitated a number of key operational procedures that ranged from facilitating the application process, to liaising with school principals regarding the provision of programming in schools.

The feedback garnered from principals was also very positive and many commented the coordinator position has resulted in increased support for schools in terms of organizing and administering available programming. They also have greater assurance the programming being provided is high quality and the facilities are being used in an appropriate and safe manner. 18

4.1.2 Use of Technology to Support Delivery Both models utilized some form of technology to either support the allocation of space or capture information to support program delivery and evaluation. The urban model relied on the technological infrastructure already being utilized for the planning and monitoring of the provision of recreational programming and services provided by the City of Calgary.

In the rural model, the acquisition of School Dude, as previously noted, allowed for the streamlining and centralization of information that has resulted in increased capacity to plan and deliver programming in schools.

4.2 COMMUNITY CAPACITY

As the project was designed to facilitate access to underserved community groups or individuals looking for space to utilize, extensive efforts were made in the urban model to ensure these groups could access space. Yet, while the project was successful in achieving this objective, it has become clear that the community, whether at a grassroots level or to some extent even more organized agencies, does not always have the capacity to implement programming in a short period of time.

5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND FINAL RESULTS The School Access Subsidy Project was designed to provide children and youth in Calgary and the area served by Rocky View School Division the opportunity to be involved in positive developmental programs and activities during “critical hours” or “out of school time.” Specifically, the subsidy was utilized for the following two objectives:

➔ Reduce the school cost recovery fees of single caretaker schools when these facilities are available to rent – evenings, weekends and holidays.

Through the provision of subsidized rates for school rentals during evenings, weekends and holidays, the project has significantly increased the opportunities for children and youth to engage in positive relationships with adults and develop skills and assets that will not only benefit them in their schooling but also in their everyday life.

Since its inception in the fall of 2009, the project has seen and serviced an ever increasing demand for access to school space so service providers and local clubs could provide programming for underserved children, youth and families. In the urban setting alone the project grew from the original 17 targeted schools to expand to over 90 schools.

To date, the project has been successful in not only increasing access to critical hours programming but it also has shed light on how this type of programming can be most effectively provided in and with community and what it will take to have this become a sustained practice over time in both the rural and urban operating environment.

The collaborative approach used to implement the project has revealed that the capacity and infrastructure exists to sustain the provision of critical hours programming after 6 p.m., weekends and holidays as well as the hours of 3 – 6 throughout the school week in both the urban and rural settings. The incremental costs associated with this practice are negligible and if a ready source of subsidy funds were available on a regular basis, this practice could be sustained in both the urban and rural settings. 19

Collaboration with the various sources of programming available in the community has increased the community’s ability to effectively provide critical hours programming in schools that require this to address community issues and it can be provided to the populations that benefit the most from this sort of programming.

In addition, collaboration with Calgary AfterSchool as a source of programming has opened the door to a broader range of community based programming designed to deliver the outcomes required for children and youth to be successful throughout, in and out of school.

The project has also been successful in influencing the systems involved so the potential for a more coordinated and intentional approach to making facilities and programs accessible to children and youth during the critical hours can be developed. Specifically, the learnings derived over the course of this project are currently being used to:

➔ Develop a new booking model for public use access in the newly opened P3 Schools in Calgary in the fall of 2011 to allow priority access for minors activities before 8 p.m.

➔ Inform a public engagement process that will examine how space is currently being used so as to ensure the right space is being used by the right groups, at the right time and is aligned with other space allocation models in the City of Calgary.

➔ Explore facility improvements in terms of safety features and accessibility in the rural communities so increased community usage can be offered.

➔ Maximize Rocky View School Division school usage, with targeted focus on community partner programs and clubs with little or zero cost (e.g. Boys & Girls Clubs, Brownies, Cub Scouts, etc.).

➔ Reduce the current cost absorbed by Rocky View School Division school budget to enable community use of schools facilities.

Finally, there is strong agreement and recognition across all stakeholders involved in this project of the need to continue to keep the issue of the importance of critical hours programming not only at the forefront of the public, but also policy makers so we can continue to develop the infrastructure and system networks required to have this become an integral component of how communities can come together to support their children and youth to be successful in school and life.

6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS Based on these results and findings, it is recommended that UpStart:

➔ Continue to work with the systems involved to fully articulate the operating model and principles for the provision of critical hours programming in schools.

APPENDIX A: DATA COLLECTION MATRIX Table 4: School Rental Subsidy Data Collection Matrix 1.0 Success/Impact

EVALUATION QUESTION POSSIBLE INDICATORS KEY SOURCES OF DATA

Does offering a subsidy result in ➔ # of rentals (evening, weekends ➔ Initiative data from the City’s increased use of school facilities and holidays) recreational database and Rocky during the critical hours? View database ➔ Total # of spaces and hours available for rentals ➔ Total cost of rented space ➔ Total $ amount of subsidized programming provided ➔ # and type of programming provided

Have new or additional ➔ # and type of programming ➔ Initiative data from the City’s developmental, cultural and provided recreational database and Rocky recreational opportunities been made View database available to children and youth? ➔ # of children and youth participating in critical hours programming

Has there been an increase in the ➔ # and type of service providers ➔ Initiative data from the City’s use of school facilities by service recreational database and Rocky providers and clubs? View database ➔ # and type of clubs ➔ # of programs run by service providers and clubs ➔ # of rentals (evening, weekends and holidays)

Are the short-term outcomes ➔ # and percent of children and ➔ Program survey data from Boys and identified for critical hours youth reporting positive outcomes Girls Clubs programming being achieved? ➔ Program survey data from City recreation programs 21

APPENDIX A: DATA COLLECTION MATRIX Table 4: School Rental Subsidy Data Collection Matrix 2.0 Design and Delivery

EVALUATION QUESTION POSSIBLE INDICATORS KEY SOURCES OF DATA

What factors have contributed to the ➔ Elements, components and ➔ Meeting notes from success of the Critical Hours Initiative? processes identified by partners implementation team implementing the initiative that contribute to success ➔ Project diaries for rural and urban coordinators ➔ Interviews with project partners

Are program fees a barrier to ➔ # and percent of Tier 1 versus Tier ➔ Documentation of groups meeting children participating in critical hours 2 and Tier 3 groups utilizing school selection criteria programming? spaces for programming ➔ # of rentals (evening, weekends ➔ Interviews with project partners and holidays) ➔ Total # of spaces and hours available for rental ➔ Total cost of rented space ➔ Total $ amount subsidized

What other barriers stand in the way of ➔ # and type of groups not selected ➔ Documentation of groups meeting children and youth accessing critical due to capacity issues selection criteria hours programming? ➔ Type of systems and practice ➔ Project diaries for rural and urban issues identified through the coordinators implementation process ➔ Interviews with project partners

How has the Access 3-6 model ➔ Elements, components and ➔ Meeting notes from facilitated the provision of critical hours processes identified by partners implementation team programming in targeted schools? implementing the initiative that contribute to success ➔ Project diaries for rural and urban coordinators ➔ Interviews with project partners and school principals 22

APPENDIX B: GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE PROJECT

➔ Schools as centres of community – Schools are public buildings that can effectively serve as hubs for community- based programs.

➔ Services for children and youth are a priority – Non-profit users of school space that offer community-based programming for children and youth are a priority for reduced rate rental school space.

➔ School activities are a priority – School day activities and extra-curricular activities organized or administered by a school or school board have priority use of school space during and after regular school hours.

➔ Respect for stakeholder roles and responsibilities – Community use of school facilities is facilitated by stakeholder partners, such as local school boards and municipalities, who respect each other’s roles, responsibilities and obligations to the community and education system.

➔ Respond to community needs – Selected programs will respond to the needs and interests of children and youth living in the community. Priority will be given to programs that support underserved populations.

➔ Appropriate use of space – Usage should reflect the design of the facility and should be activity and age appropriate.

➔ New organizations – Priority will be given to organizations that have not used school facilities for programming in the past as typically they have a difficult time accessing space due to historic or “legacy” renewals by existing program providers.

➔ Collaboration – Participant outcomes can be demonstrably linked by the partnership. Outcomes would not be achieved without the collaboration of resources. 23

APPENDIX C: Project Success Examples: Interim Progress Report (2011)

Over the course of project implementation it became clear space would be required in the Beltline area (Inner City) of downtown. Several organizations called looking for “central” space and/or space close to public transit. As transportation is a known barrier to participation in recreation – especially in underserved populations – a solution was quickly sought. With the help of the Facility Director from the Calgary Board of Education, the School Access Coordinator was able to designate Connaught School as a part of this pilot when the gymnasium reopened after renovations. Accessing the community contacts through the City of Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services offices, word of mouth travelled quickly, and by the time the gym was ready to go, three groups had secured space three evenings a week and on the weekend.

The Somali Canadian Society of Calgary hosted a homework club and basketball drop-in on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. With help from university students, participants expanded this to engage children and youth in a leadership program on Saturdays. The Oromo Youth Association held a drop-in soccer program on Saturday afternoon for their youth who live in the Beltline area. Stardale Women’s Foundation has also found a home at Connaught. Their dance program for at-risk aboriginal girls targets participants from all four quadrants of the city. The program is accessible to more girls as Connaught is centrally located and on several bus routes. (Project Principle: Responding to Community Need, Creating New Opportunities for Underserved Populations)

“Having a subsidy in place to support after school programming has made a real difference in being able to access school space for programming. Since we have been able to access the subsidy we have seen our enrolment increase from 5 – 10 kids on average to over 20 per session simply because we can program in a larger and more suitable space.”

Between Friends Club provides social and recreational opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities. Between Friends Club was looking to expand their W.E.S.O.A.R! (Weekend and Evening Social Opportunities, Activities and Recreation) Program to the South of Calgary so as to address a transportation barrier to families they served. The only space they were able to find was at a community centre, at a cost of $60/hour. This higher cost for space rental would have translated to higher participation fees for the youth – which would have been prohibitive to some. After learning of the UpStart School Access Subsidy at a Disability Interagency meeting, the programmer connected with the School Access Coordinator and was able to secure space at St. William at a much lower rate. Between Friends Club is now looking to increase programming in community schools for fall 2010. (Project Principle: Responding to Community Need) 24

A number of schools targeted in this pilot have very small gyms and are only suitable for young children. After discussions with several community soccer associations, the School Access Coordinator was able to identify these spaces and market them for U6 programs. The associations transferred several of their U6 teams to this smaller space, which opened up space at schools with large gyms for older teams. (Project Principle: Appropriate Use of Space)

The Calgary Chinese Community Services Association (CCCSA) offered a Spring Break Day Camp at Radisson Park School. This day camp came to fruition after the Parent Council approached the CCCSA, who was running a successful after school program at the school, and expressed a need for a spring break program to support the children in the community. The CCCSA had no funding to run the camp and the parent council was only able to provide a couple hundred dollars in support. In subsidizing the rental rate, the association was able to charge participants a nominal fee of $20/week. (Project Principle: Responding to Community Need, Supporting Underserved Populations)

City of Calgary Recreation has seen great success with their S.C.O.R.E. (Supporting Children’s Opportunity for Recreation Experiences) programs in the Greater Forest Lawn area. They have offered two sessions of programs in the community and with the combined efforts of several different initiatives, children and youth in this area are learning soccer and basketball skills, being active and meeting new friends in greater numbers. (Project Principle: Increased Programming in Areas of Highest Need, Increased Collaboration Between Service Providers) 25

APPENDIX D: ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN SCHOOL ACCESS GRANTS PROJECT

United Way UpStart: Champions for Children and Youth Energy Volleyball Calgary Board of Education Ethio-Canadian Youth Association Calgary Catholic School District Families Matter Rocky View School Division Foothills Soccer City of Calgary Recreation Department ICNA – Canada City of Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services Immigrant Services Calgary Calgary YMCA Jonez Basketball Calgary Boys and Girls Clubs Kids World Calgary Sports Council KLCC Afrikadey Marlborough Soccer AKF Ohtsuka Karate MCFS / Aboriginal Parent Link Centre Alberta Skipping Association Mongolian Community Association Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society MSB United Soccer Axe Capoeira New Heights Baton Between Friends Club New Roads – Hull Child & Family Services Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Calgary Northwest Locomotive Basketball Bow River Basketball Oromo Youth Association Calgary Emergency Women’s Shelter Rundle School Council Calgary Highland Dance Skyview Community Church Calgary Learning Village Collaborative Somali Canadian Society of Calgary Calgary Minor Basketball Somali International Youth Board Calgary Chinese Community Services Association Somali Youth League Calgary Catholic Immigrant Services Sparks Volleyball Coalition for Equal Access to Education Stardale Women’s Foundation Centripetal Force Baton Sudanese Talent Show CornerStone Youth The Way Basketball Crossroads Community Association Varsity Community Association Soccer Crossroads Community Church Vibe Volleyball Dalhousie Community Association Vista Heights Action Group Deerfoot Soccer West Valley Softball Drill Crew WillowRidge Soccer El-Salam Youth Unlimited 26

Extra stuff:

As part of the communication strategy, a project launch was held at one of the participating schools where the funding amount and the details of the project were made public to members of the community service providers and other interested bodies. The announcement was well attended with the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Lindsay Blackett present, as well as two local MLAs, principals for other schools and numerous service providers.

Midway through the implementation of year one of the project it became evident that uptake in the urban model was not achieving the momentum originally anticipated. A meeting was held with all the key stakeholders to brainstorm what was standing in the way of groups and service providers accessing school space for programming.

Key among the observations that arose in that meeting was the need for enhanced communication about the initiative in the community and closer communication and cooperation with Calgary AfterSchool (CAS) which was also in the midst of implementation. A key component of this would be working with the Access 3-6 steering committee which was responsible for creating a streamlined process whereby quality after school programs could access schools throughout Calgary.