Introduction

The Need for After-School Programs

Today, more than 28 million school-age children have parents who work outside the home. An estimated five to seven million, and up to as many as 15 million "latch-key children" return to an empty home after school. When the school bell rings, the anxiety for parents often just begins. They worry about whether their children are safe, whether they are susceptible to drugs and crime.

In response to this pressing concern, many communities have created after-school programs to keep children and youth out of trouble and engaged in activities that help them learn. Almost 100 percent of people polled in a recent survey agreed that it is important for children to have an after-school program that helps them develop academic and social skills in a safe and caring environment.

However, a chronic shortage of quality after-school programs exists. According to parents, the need far exceeds the current supply. One recent study found that twice as many elementary and middle school parents wanted after-school programs as were currently available.

After-school programs provide a wide array of benefits to children, their families, schools, and the whole community. This report, jointly authored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, focuses exclusively on the benefits children receive in terms of increased safety, reduced risk-taking, and improved learning.

Helping Children to Succeed

First and foremost, after-school programs keep children of all ages safe and out of trouble. The after-school hours are the time when juvenile crime hits its peak, but through attentive adult supervision, quality after-school programs can protect our children. As this report shows, in communities with comprehensive programs, children are less likely to commit crimes or to be victimized, and are less likely to engage in risky behavior such as drug, alcohol and tobacco use.

After-school programs also can help to improve the academic performance of participating children. For many children, their reading and math scores have improved, in large part because after-school programs allow them to focus attention on areas in which they are having difficulties. Many programs connect learning to more relaxed and enriching activities, thereby improving academic performance as well.

After-school programs also contribute to raising children's self-confidence as well as academic performance. Both teachers and parents report that children who participate in after-school programs develop better social skills and learn to handle conflicts in more socially acceptable ways. Children indicate that they have higher aspirations for their future, including greater intentions to complete high school and attend college.

Families able to enroll their children in good programs indicate that their children are safer and more successful in school. These families also develop a greater interest in their child's learning. In addition, children develop new interests and skills and improve their school attendance.

In many cases, communities have come together to improve the availability of after-school programs. Partnerships among schools, local governments, law enforcement, youth- and community-based organizations, social and health services, and businesses have resulted in a number of high-quality after-school programs. These partnerships foster a greater volunteer spirit and provide opportunities for parents and other adults to participate in program activities.

From school to school, neighborhood to neighborhood, and community to community, every after-school program is different. Successful programs respond to community needs: their creation is the result of a community effort to evaluate the needs of its school-age children when school is not in session.

For many children in neighborhoods across America, after-school programs provide a structured, safe, supervised place to be after school for learning, fun, and friendship with adults and peers alike. This report will share some of those places with you.