History

DEASA was formally created in 2005, culminating five years of work by a core group of afterschool advocates, who had met to work on policy, quality and sustainability issues.  Their work began during the summer of 2000, when a delegation from Delaware was invited to attend the first Mott Foundation AfterSchool Summit in Florida.  The delegation included public agencies, schools, and private organizations.  Returning to Delaware, the delegation began meeting on a regular basis.  Although afterschool advocates had worked on funding and quality issues as opportunities arose, the delegation was energized by the Mott summit.  In 2000, Governor Thomas Carper worked with this group to organize and host an AfterSchool Summit.  Participants included school superintendents, principals, judges, clergy, parents and afterschool practitioners.  Since then DEASA membership has solidified its resolve to create a Network in Delaware.  The progress made by DEASA has culminated in Delaware receiving a Mott Foundation grant in October 2006.

Vision

Delaware AfterSchool Alliance (DEASA) strives for the day when every community supports all of
its children and their families by providing access to quality afterschool programs designed to promote the positive well-being of the whole child.

Mission

The Delaware AfterSchool Alliance (DEASA) is a public-private partnership that endorses the goal of all school age children being academically, socially, culturally and physically healthy.  Private and public stakeholders, along with schools, children and their families, will work together to:

• Create a long-term policy voice for afterschool programs
• Advocate for policies that support high quality programs
• Support the after school workforce
• Increase public awareness
• Build bridges between the public schools and community-based organizations for school-based or school-linked afterschool  programs
• Support family-centered practices

Funding

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has committed to fund this initiative beginning October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2009.  The Mott Foundation sets three goals for the states that it funds:

• Create a sustainable structure of statewide, regional, and local partnerships, particularly school-community partnerships, focused on supporting statewide policy development.
• Support the development and growth of state wide policies that will secure the resources that are needed to sustain new and existing afterschool programs.
• Support statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.