PUBLICATION AND RESEARCH

Fueling Impact: Insights That Elevate Out-of-School Time

WYEN is committed to ensuring that all young people across the Equality State have access to enriching experiences beyond the school day. As a trusted resource for programs, policymakers, and community leaders, we curate and share essential research, publications, and briefs that demonstrate the transformative impact of out-of-school time (OST) programming. 

This collection highlights key issues, data, and stories that show how OST opportunities—from afterschool programs to summer learning—support youth development, strengthen families, and help communities thrive. Whether you’re shaping policy, building programs, or seeking inspiration, these resources offer valuable insight into the role of OST in Wyoming and beyond. 

Community Connections Make a Difference

November 2023: Leverage the power of out of school time to grow talent, increase competitive advantage and support working families. Download this handout that explores how stronger community connections can make a difference to young people in Wyoming. Click here.

April 2023: Wyoming employers need access to a well-prepared workforce, and they have a significant role to play in preparing that workforce. Leverage the power of out of school time to grow talent, increase competitive advantage and support working families. Learn about the power of internships and mentorships for the business community and the youth they involve. Click here. 

Addressing Mental Well-Being Through Afterschool Programs

November 2022: Afterschool and summer programs play an important role in supporting the healthy development of young people and are all the more critical today. We must seize this moment to fund Wyoming’s afterschool programs so they can serve all families in need and help address the urgent youth mental health crisis. We can do this by providing resources that will allow programs to partner with more schools, community organizations, mental health agencies, and pediatricians. The Wyoming Enrichment Network is helping to make these connections. Find it online. Click Here

Opportunity Youth: Ensuring That All Our Young People Have a Fair Chance 

January 2021: Approximately 2,000 Wyoming young people, between the ages of 16 and 19 are neither in school nor employed. As the least populated state, Wyoming cannot afford to waste their potential to participate fully in our community. As the Equality State, we can and must do more to ensure that all our young people have a fair chance—no matter where they live or learn—to become engaged citizens who contribute to Wyoming’s economy, raise healthy and strong families, and participate in community life. Click here.  

Wyoming After 3pm

December 2020: Many more Wyoming parents want afterschool programs for their children than are able to access them, according to a household survey commissioned by the  Afterschool Alliance and released today. It finds that, by overwhelming margins, parents express strong, broad-based support for afterschool programs. But unmet demand – the percentage of children in Wyoming not currently in an afterschool program whose parents say they would be enrolled if an afterschool program were available to them – has increased over the past six years,  with low-income families in particular citing cost as a barrier to enrolling their children. As a  result, for every child in an afterschool program in Wyoming today, three more are waiting to get in. Find the publications and learn more at Wyoming after 3. 

From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope

January 2019: The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD) published their final report. It highlights the crucial role afterschool plays in supporting the whole child. Find it online: Click Here

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