FOX 17: Mayor Cooper launches Nashville's first Out-of-School Time Program Locator

Sydney Keller, FOX 17 WZTV

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Mayor Cooper announced the official launch of Nashville's first Metro Out-of-School Time Program Locator Wednesday.

The program locator is a new online tool that connects Nashville parents with afterschool programs in their area.

As of Monday, nearly 60 locations across Metro Nashville are included in the database. The new tool will also serve nearly 74,000 students each year.

Research has consistently shown that access to out-of-school programming improves attendance, lowers dropout rates, closes the performance gap in underserved communities and contributes to a host of other benefits for our kids.

-Mayor John Cooper

"We also know from our 2010 Child and Youth Master Plan that many parents and youth are unaware of the quality programs that are being offered in their area," Mayor Cooper continues. "We are addressing that gap, and this new tool will help parents across the city find the right after-school program for them and contribute to better outcomes for Nashville’s young people."

You can utilize the new tool here, as well on the websites of partner organization Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA), and United Way of Greater Nashville.

Mayor Cooper visited Inglewood Elementary in East Nashville Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the launch and visits students.

Inglewood is one of a few MNPS that use a particular funding formula to incorporate teachers, faculty and staff into a stronger after-school programming.

Inglewood’s after-school program also includes MNPS high school students who have interest in pursuing a career in education. These students are part of MNPS’ work-based learning, which bridges the gap between high school and high-demand, high-skill careers in Nashville and across the state.

In April 2022, the mayor’s office encouraged nonprofits and community organizations to participate in the out-of-school program locator initiative as part of his Agenda For Nashville’s Young People.

Metro Nashville Public Schools is grateful to partner with the Mayor’s Office, NAZA and United Way to bring a new resource to Nashville parents,” said Makeda Watson, MNPS Extended Learning Coordinator. “The Out-of-School Program Time Locator fills an important need to streamline the process for parents, and we hope lead to more kids participating in extended-learning opportunities both through MNPS and our outside partners.

Read the original article here.