February: Meet Dwight Jones!
At our February Coffee and Conversation event, we welcomed the new Executive Director of the Office of Children's Affairs, Dwight Jones! There were 50 people, representing 31 different OST organizations in attendance. Dwight shared his background, as well as answered questions that were submitted by attendees prior to the event around a number of topics including his priorities for OST, resources he will bring, and how city budget cuts will impact the Office of Children’s Affairs.
General Notes from the Questions asked of Dwight
The coffee and conversation participants were asked to fill out a brief registration form where they had the opportunity to ask a question and share an impact story from their organization. The DAA reviewed the questions and asked Dwight the following based on reoccurring themes:
What excites you most about the current state of OCA? What are your top priorities for OST programs?
Dwight responded that he is excited about the day and time we are currently in because he believes that his experience has prepared him for the challenges we are facing. He is excited about the team at OCA. Believes the OCA team really lives their values, there is committed leadership and he is going to build on the foundation that exists. He acknowledges the experience, passion, and commitment that Maxine Quintana, Director of OST Programs has for the OST work and her advocacy for all the programs in the room (and beyond).
What resources are you bringing to this work that you can share with us?
Networking and connecting is a strength. Dwight is a strong relationship builder and has connections with various philanthropic entities. He is meeting with these entities to figure out how to best serve youth. He has a strong ability to share a vision and express his confidence and belief in the OST work and will leverage OST providers in the conversations when possible and appropriate. Dwight is also committed to transparency and collaboration to ensure we are as efficient and effective as possible.
What do you see as some of the most pressing concerns for youth currently?
Youth are under an extreme amount of stress, especially since the pandemic. The climate of the country as a whole is impacting youth and their school experiences (e.g., what school staff are “allowed” to talk about, teach, etc.). There is an even more critical need for OST adult staff and the power of the relationships that are built in that space. Youth are resilient and they need a space to demonstrate that and the hope they represent not only to the city of Denver, but the country as a whole.
Given the current landscape and talk about City budget cuts, how will OCA prioritize community partnerships that serve youth? How will OCA leverage relationships and partnerships to build sustainability of funding for OST programs, Youth Violence Prevention (YVP), and Tasty Foods?
OCA was asked to propose $883,000 in budget cuts to the Mayor’s office in mid-February. OCA leadership is meeting with the Mayor’s office on 2/26 to “defend” the proposal. The Mayor and City Council ultimately will make the final decisions. Making budget cut decisions is tough and Dwight will be as transparent and communicative to the potential impact on community organization as soon as he has that information and is able to share.
o Youth violence prevention is a priority for the Mayor and his safe city goal. We know that OST plays a huge role in youth violence prevention.
o The Tasty food program is federally funded so there is not an expected impact on that program.
o We are learning more every day on the needs of new immigrants and the role that OST will have in supporting youth and families.
DPS Partnership Engagement Activity
The final “question” included an engagement activity. Participants were invited to participate in a table discussion on partnership with Denver Public Schools and were asked, “If there were no barriers, what would an ideal partnership with DPS look like for you? We know all the providers in the room support and serve DPS students and strengthening partnerships in collaboration is crucial and want to understand community partner perspective:
Representative from each table provided the following feedback
*Note: the intent was to capture the sentiment of each group as best as possible and may not be 100% accurate or represent all parties at the table/in the room
Strategic construction on buildings would be reduced during summer in areas where summer programs are planned/scheduled to take place
There would be a specific, clear and smooth path for partnerships with community-based organizations and the district. The path would be written, easily accessible, consistent, and transparent across the entire system
There would be a collective approach to working together a “WE are all DPS” (because we all serve DPS students and have the same end goal…thriving youth and families)
Advocacy process is written and communicated for partners and families which includes who to go reach out to in the various departments within the district
Access to school buildings would be smooth and grounded in strong collaboration between central office administration and individual school sites and not a school-by-school basis
Professional learning opportunities would be available for OST staff to learn more about district and school culture
Transportation would be readily available and accessible so students can attend OST and summer programs
Student data is accessible and shared across systems (e.g., DPS ID is also their library number)
Look creatively at ways to deepen work together (e.g., book buying partnership)
Deepen relationship and connection between day school and afterschool. Schools promote OST to families and students. Data is collected jointly and learning sessions are held and the benefits of OST programs for students and families are recognized, celebrated, and elevated.
There is a central resource bank for students and families to access
There is alignment and reciprocal respect for what the district and OST have to offer communities and the recognition of the critical role that community-based organizations play in accomplishing the goals of the district and the city
Dwight’s Responses to Engagement Activity (Strengthening partnership with OST providers and the District)
Dwight has regular meetings with Superintendent as well as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deborah Staten to deepen the relationship, alignment and partnership between OCA and the District. Dwight will consider opportunities to directly connect the OST community with Deborah Staten (e.g., Zoom call, coffee and conversation space, learning summit with DPS, etc.)
Dwight offered to meet individually with community partners and listen and learn from them; their impact, successes as well as challenges and potential solutions (partners can reach out to Jess Ridgway to schedule: jess.ridgway@denvergov.org). Data matters and he wants to learn more about each organizations impact data and the work we can do together
Dwight is committed to advocating for OST and believes in the importance of continued investments and that we cannot “cut our way to results”
Dwight believes strongly that OST programs align with the Mayor’s goal of a Safe City and will work tirelessly to support and elevate the voice of youth serving providers to strengthen alignment between the OST community and the district.
Dwight encouraged everyone to get behind the bond that is coming out this fall, as it will support DPS and in turn youth and families
Parking Lot Questions & Wonderings
Dwight mentioned the importance of "showing up" and the need for post pandemic mental supports. The book "The Power of Showing Up" by Daniel Siegel is wonderful on this topic.
Please share how the DPS Bond will get out to Community Comprehensive Organizations and not just stay internal to DPS.
The DPS Bond measure will support DPS facility upgrades which also house OST partners and youth programs.
How can OCA support DPS actually using LOCAL NONPROFIT partners with expertise, connections, history and devotion to the communities we serve and not just national, for profit, slick talking organizations?
OCA is looking forward to building a closer relationship with DPS. As a committed advocate and promoter of local organizations doing great work, OCA will be able to share that commitment not only with DPS but others across the community as well.
Dwight stated that OCA is "seeking funds from Denver philanthropy" - what for? If philanthropy funds OCA will there be less for nonprofits who rely on braiding grants together in order to keep our doors open and serve youth?
OCA is working to cultivate more philanthropic supporters for youth programming. OCA is not applying for grants to support our work.
Is DPS really looking into a 4 day per week school week in the future?!?!?!?!?!
OCA is not aware of this discussion.
With DPS ESSER funds ending, in what ways will this impact students?
With ESSER ending, students across the county will likely feel some impacts as additional programs, resources and staff were supported by those dollars. OCA does not know how the ESSER cliff will specifically impact DPS students.
What is in the DPS Bond that supports OST? Who decides this? How are needs going to be met? How will funds be managed? How do us, the experts, shape any of this and not just have it be done by a private, internal group?
The DPS Bond measure will support facility upgrades benefiting all children across DPS. More information on the DPS Bond process can be found here.
Library Relationship with DPS: Student & Educator IDs are library card numbers and we partner on DPL database access at schools.
Dwight mentioned cuts at the Recreation Centers - how will this impact kids? What is being done to replace services? Are you rallying CBOs to help pick up the gap? How can more thoughtful planning and communication between the City and CBOs happen?
DPR is working on a plan that will expand and enhance the MyDenver program in an effort to reach more youth. OCA will work with DPR to promote the Youth Program Locator as a tool for families to find additional resources.
Dwight suggested organizations connecting with their City Council representatives. Is there a way to also do this with the Mayor and his staff?
OCA appreciates your willingness to advocate on behalf of Denver youth. We know the Mayor and City Council members strongly support all work supporting youth and believe we can effectively dialogue with elected officials.
If City budget cuts are mandated (mentioned that there is a meeting on 2/26 to defend OCA cuts) - when will we know how we (meaning, our kids) will be impacted? We need time to plan and try to find other dollars so we don't have to cut back on hours for staff and/or kids.
OCA commits to sharing information about any information about budget implications with you as our department receives it.
How will the items shared in the exercise "if there were no barriers, what would a relationship with DPS look like/include" be worked on? Who will they be shared with? How will progress be accomplished? How will us and community be notified?
OCA looks forward to continuing to use these events and monthly newsletters to share information and updates.
Today was a really lovely session, I enjoyed hearing from Dwight and learning about his background and hopes for the City. My question is - how does this interaction continue so that it's not just a "one and done" listening tour session? I would like to hear more regular updates about the City budget, City happenings, DPS happenings, future opportunities (such as the Discovery Channel event). Maxine does a great job of keeping us informed on many OST matters, events, opportunities. However, we have not had OCA leadership who shares bigger picture happenings and what not with us, certainly not on a regular basis, if ever.
Thank you for the feedback. We will ensure that there are more opportunities for broader updates moving forward.
