Afterschool Youth Development Programs

     Afterschool Programs 

Overview

Every academic year parents of students in grades K-12 find themselves in need of quality educational afterschool programs in their communities.  Many of these families are in need of these programs for they are free, provide a safe environment, offer quality extended learning opportunities like STEAM programs, academic tutoring, enrichment activities, and healthy supper meals.  And it is in low-income communities that the demand of afterschool youth development programs is high.
         
Our current presidential administration has threaten to cut funding for afterschool youth development program nationwide, leaving nearly 2 million kids without afterschool programs and summer programs.  This means that students from low-income communities will be cut-off from the opportunities that afterschool youth development programs have to offer, thus continuing to broaden the inequality of educational opportunities in order to increase funding for military that will also lead to an increase in the deficit.  The Trump administration has also mentioned that afterschool programs make no difference in improving student test scores or even help with increasing student daytime attendance, but studies have shown the opposite.

Research:

Benefits of Afterschool Programs

          

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Afterschool programs improve students attendance!  How?  

• By partnering up with schools, afterschool programs and school administrations work together to find solutions to students lack of attendance by creating attendance incentives .  

• Afterschool program staff also have better communication with students' parents where student attendance can be discussed and attendance goals can be setup with the parent, student, and school administration.

• Afterschool program staff are the constant.  Schools always undergo a turnaround of teachers every academic year, thus a disconnection between students and teachers is created.  The consistency that is created between the afterschool program leaders and the student does not change.

           

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Afterschool Programs Provide Healthy Snacks and Supper Programs

• Afterschool programs provide supper meals to every student attending the program.

• Opens an opportunity to teach students about healthy eating habits, which in turn can help reduce health conditions that are prominent in communities with concentrated poverty.

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How Does Afterschool Programs Contribute to Students Education Success?

• Afterschool programs target academic assistance needs by assessing schools' state testing results, and collaborating with the school administration in developing effective academic tutoring afterschool.
• It is not just through tutoring that afterschool programs challenge students academically, but through enrichment and recreational activities combined with disguised learning that academic support is also achieved.
• Afterschool programs also offer STEM activities that challenge students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics through hands one activities.    

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There are more than 10.2 million students that participate in afterschool programs...

• There is a high need for afterschool programs in communities with concentrated poverty.
• Many students wait throughout the school year to be able to participate in afterschool programs.  Lack of funding prevents additional quality staff to be employed to facilitate enrichment, academic, or recreational activities afterschool.
• There are waitlist for students in K-8 at youth centers for students to participate in afterschool programs.  Demand is high in rural areas, only allowing 1.2 million participants.

Social, Emotional, and Educational Growth

     

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88% Develop strong social skills

78% Make better decisions

82% Are excited about learning

82% Improve work habits and grades

78% Make gains in reading and Math

77% Have higher graduation rates

Significance

     I have been working with afterschool programs for the past seven years and I have had the privilege to have worked for LA's Best, Options Enrichment, and currently with Youth Policy Institute.  At all three non-profit organizations I have learned that we are here to service our students, their families, and the communities that we work with at no cost.  It is of importance to be able to continue quality afterschool programs in our inner-city communities and our rural communities.  More and more the demand has grown, yet funding has decreased and every year we face the possibility to not being able to service our communities.

      

     Afterschool programs are not a babysitting service from 3p.m. to 6p.m. for parents.  Afterschool programs are quality extended learning programs that with collaboration with the daytime school, we focus on enrichment, academic, and recreational activities.  Afterschool programs strive to broaden students horizons and opportunities by exposing them to college and career activities, taking them to college campuses, and engaging them in civil learning and community service opportunities.  Therefore, funding should continue and expand to all communities were their is a lack of quality afterschool programs.

     I chose this issue because working in afterschool programs I have seen the impact they can make.  I see how we impact students in the social aspect, academic component, and even impact the daytime school attendance by motivating students to attend school.  Afterschool program staff connect with their students and their families.  And I believe the opportunities for quality afterschool programs that are offered in the city of Los Angeles,  should be continue to be offered and funded, but also expanded to rural communities that are in high demand.  But not just here in Los Angeles, accross America afterschool funding should continue.  Save afterschool, keep the lights on afterschool!

 

Alex Husman 

Site Coordinator at Youth Policy Institute (YPI) with the Extended Learning Department

"I have been working with afterschool programs for over 15 years, with students ranging from Kindergarden to 8th Grade.  I have been an academic tutor, athletic coach, and currently a program coordinator managing a team of 10 youth leaders and ensuring we provide a quality afterschool program.  We definitely need to continue funding! We should extend funding and continue to seek communities where we can service students and their families, specially those students who do not have access or the economic resources to be a part of extra-curriculum activities afterschool.  Because that is what we do, we provide that opportunity with the goal in mind to bridge educational gaps and expose our students to enriching activities.  I am here to inspire; I am a mentor, an educator, and a great believer of the impact we make and can continue to make!"

Patty Osorio

Stay at Home Mom from South El Monte, CA

"I agree that afterschool programs or youth programs are important.  As a parent, I can't afford signing up my child to activities that will expose her to different things to do, they cost money and I don't have that.  I tried ballet classes at the local community center, but she wasn't engaged and I was paying for it!  Now, she is actually doing rodeo roping activities on Mondays, but that is costing me sixty-five dollars every Monday.  How long am I going to afford that for?  I don't know, but it will be sad to have to stop because I can no longer afford it.  So these programs and money that will provide these services, even if it is not roping, would definitely be so helpful."

Yanet Cardenas

Special Education Teacher, Pre-K

"As an educator I think we should continue funding for youth programs.  At the school I work at, we do have a youth program or afterschool program, but not all students are able to participate because there is a waitlist and it is unfortunate.  I know that all parent free tutoring that goes on.  So yes, it is important and we should continue funding."

Antonio Chavez

Senior Youth Leader, Youth Policy Institute (YPI) with the Extended Learning Department

"I use to be a part of YPI, I was a participant.  And if it wasn't for YPI and offering credit recovery programs afterschool, I wouldn't have graduated.  Now as an employee, I encourage my students to participate.  And I know there are many other free programs for youth and they are important.  They make a difference.  Save afterschool!"

Mayra Martinez

Afterschool Athletic Instructor with Youth Policy Institute (YPI) 

with the Extended Learning Department; 

CIF Girls and Boys Volleyball Coach

"I started working with YPI in 2014 as the volleyball coach.  And being employed by this program gave me the opportunity to develop into more than a coach, but a mentor.  If it wasn't for this program my students and I wouldn't have the resources to develop a volleyball program, that eventually turned our team into a CIF division team.  But more importantly, having this program kept my kids out of trouble.  They could've been out on the streets, afterschool, but I was able to build this relation that would engage them and encourage them to stay afterschool.  This gave them the opportunity as young adults to also learn what working as a team is about, a sense of responsibility and accountability.  But overall, it gave them a sense of importance, because they learned that their work and effort was important."

Maria Paez

Stay at Home Mom from South El Monte, CA

"Afterschool programs are really important.  But I can't enroll my daughter in the afterschool program at her school because there is a waitlist.  And I am not the only parent on the waitlist.  And I don't want my daughter to be in afterschool because I don't want her home, but it is because it will help her develop social skills.  She is social at home, in her comfort zone, but not with kids at her school and I think this is a good opportunity for her to make friends.  And I know the benefits, I've asked the school principal about having more afterschool activities and he said 'what would you rather have? funding towards summer program to help your child or funding towards the afterschool program where activities will still be limited?'.  So I don't know, but something needs to change.  I don't have money to enroll my daughter in afterschool activities, so I hope something changes." 

Works Cited
Afterschool Alliance. America After 3PM Infographics. (2014). http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM/infographics.cfm

American Institute for Research. Afterschool Programs Make a Difference: Findings From the Harvard Family Research Project. (2008, August). http://www.sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v20n02/afterschool_findings.html