Why After-School Programs?
After-School hours are a critical time for youth. These hours represent either an opportunity to learn and grow through quality after-school programs, or a time of risk to a youth’s health and safety. The after-school hours are the peak time for juvenile crime and risky behavior such as alcohol and drug use. Most experts agree that after-school programs offer a healthy and positive alternative. These programs help keep children safe, improve academic achievement, help relieve the stresses on today‘s working families, and serve as important youth violence prevention and intervention strategies. Most youth do not have access to after-school programs. Every day, at least eight million children and youth are left alone and unsupervised once school is dismissed. While ninety percent of Americans think that all youth should have access to after-school programs, two-thirds say it is difficult to find programs locally. With more and more children growing up in homes with two working parents or
