Providence After School Alliance

Mission

To expand and improve quality after-school, summer, and other expanded learning opportunities for the youth of Providence by organizing a sustainable public private system that contributes to student success and serves as a national model.

Vision

Our vision is that all youth experience a range of quality after school, summer, and other expanded learning opportunities that promote their intellectual, creative, and healthy development.

Values

PASA believes that we need after-school systems that transcend the confines of local government and community positions, and remain viable long after founding leaders have vacated their posts.  We need after-school systems with shared resources from local government, businesses, school districts, and community members—and not just monetary resources, but those of space, time, expertise, advocacy, and best practices. Resources in the fullest sense of the word, so that residents of Providence and cities across our nation can function with ease in providing youth with the maximum number of opportunities for growth, expression, and success.

The landscape of after-school has changed. We must hold cross-sector collaboration as paramount in order to sustain the after school work that so many have achieved individually. In times of depleted funding and budget cuts, a sense of community ownership must permeate the after school ether – ownership where each and every member has a vested interest in the rearing and enrichment of youth.

This burden no longer falls solely on the parent or the school-day teacher. It is now the responsibility of the police officer, dance instructor, local business owner, bus driver, policy maker, and librarian as well. And we also need to listen to and incorporate youth voice into the equation, to recognize the value of that voice; they want their own success as much as we do. The classroom is growing and we must grow with it.