The Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes
History
The Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes Establishment Act of 2016, also known as D.C. Law 21-261, was signed into law by Mayor Bowser in February of 2017. The act's purpose was to support the equitable distribution of high-quality out-of-school-time programs for District of Columbia youth. It also established the Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Office) and the Commission on Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Commission). The mission is to provide resources and support to ensure a citywide system of high-quality programs. The OST Office also works with the OST Commission, a public body made up of government agency representatives and engaged residents, to coordinate among government agencies, collect and evaluate data, and to provide technical assistance to service providers.
The OST Office
Since 2017, the OST Office has facilitated programming for 82,500+ students through $113+ million in awards to District nonprofits. Since 2019, the OST Office's Institute for Youth Development has facilitated more than 530+ workshops, providing training for over 6,400+ OST service providers, improving the quality of OST programs offered to District youth.
The OST Office is a member of the Learn24 network, and it is the largest OST grantmaking entity in DC. The Office is tasked with improving both the quantity and quality of OST programs through targeted grant-making for service providers, as well as coordinating OST efforts across OST-affiliated government agencies.
The OST Office’s Institute for Youth Development supports the quality of OST opportunities by providing professional development opportunities, program quality improvement assessments, and technical assistance to OST programs across the District. Its focus is on ensuring adults who work with children and youth outside of the regular school day have the skills they need to set students up for success, improving the quality of programs available to students and their families.
Meet the Executive Director
Dr. Shontia Lowe is the Executive Director of the Deputy Mayor for Education’s Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Office). Dr. Lowe joined the OST Office in August of 2022, bringing with her 15+ years of experience in education and youth development.
Dr. Lowe began her career as a teacher, working as a middle school Spanish Teacher in Prince George’s County Public Schools. Her professional experiences in education subsequently brought her to various school districts, including the School District of Philadelphia, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Washington, DC. Dr. Lowe has helped manage and direct programs for schools, nonprofits, and government agencies. Her professional experiences in education during the school day and afterschool, and in education policy formation, inspired her to transition into education leadership roles, where she now works to support systems building across nonprofit and government agencies in the out-of-school time space.
Dr. Lowe earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management with a concentration on Global and International Education from Drexel University, her master’s in public policy with a concentration in Education from Drexel, and two bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and English from Mount Holyoke College. She also holds certificates in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University.