Safe and Smart: Making After-School Hours Work for Kids - June 1998

A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Communities Meeting the Need for
After-School Activities


I.S. 218 and P.S. 5, Children's Aid Society Community Schools
New York City, New York
Contact: C. Warren Moses, 212-949-4921

I.S. 218
When I.S. 218 in New York City decided to become a community learning center, the school created an after-school program with the help of the Children's Aid Society and other community partners. A parent survey indicated concern about homework, so the after-school program initially focused on providing homework assistance. Within months, two computer labs, dance classes, arts and crafts, band, and some entrepreneurial programs were also added to the after-school program, with learning and homework always central. The after-school program gradually evolved into an extended day program in which, for example, non-English speaking children can attend Project Advance for special instruction in Spanish and English as a second language.

Evaluations show that the after-school program at I.S. 218 positively affected both the school's and children's attitudes.

When compared to a school with similar characteristics, I.S. 218 students performed, on average, 15 percent higher on reading and math exams. These results can be attributed, in part, to the after-school activities provided to all students.

P.S. 5
Before- and after-school activities have been a part of P.S. 5 from its opening day as a community school. Half of the students at P.S. 5 participate in the breakfast program, which begins at 7:30 a.m. The extended day program organizes students by classes, and the daily schedule includes academics and homework help, fine arts, gym, dramatics, and recreation. The Broadway Theater Institute helps children put on musicals. Teachers in the extended day program communicate daily with regular teachers about homework and special help that students may need. Parents serve as assistants in the program, and over 300 adults participate in the Adult Education program, which offers classes in English as a second language, GED preparation, literacy, and arts and crafts. Students and families also have access to physical and mental health services and an on-site Headstart program.

Since 1995, the school has shown impressive gains in reading and math achievement. In math, the number of students performing at grade level improved from 45 to 59 percent, compared to 42 percent in similar schools. Thirty-five percent of students are now reading at grade level, compared to only 21 percent in 1995 and just 17 percent in similar city schools.
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