After-school+or+Out+of+School

= = = A Parent's Guide: = = After-School and Out of School Programs and Their Effects on Urban Students​ =

After-school programs for students in urban schools are rapidly increasing and are proving to be very beneficial. Many parents work longer hours than an average six hour school day; therefore, children need a safe and reliable place to go after school that reinforces their academic curriculum. These programs are especially beneficial to students in urban schools because they boost students’ lack of interest and motivation in succeeding academically. There are many different after-school programs that have been implemented to focus on all different subjects such as language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science, as well as tutoring, study skills, and evaluations. If a student is having difficulty with a particular subject, there are on-site tutors to provide assistance and motivation. In some cases, a small payment might be required of a parent or guardian, but it will be used toward improving their child’s education and academic development.

Statistics:
//“Every 26 seconds an American student drops out of Public High School”// //City Year.//
 * “15.1 million children--more than a quarter of our nation’s schoolchildren--are alone and unsupervised after school.”
 * “The parents of 18.5 million children not currently participating in an afterschool program would enroll their children in a program, if one were available to them.”
 * “8.4 million children participate in after school programs.”
 * “Nine in ten parents are satisfied with the afterschool programs their children attend. Eight in ten parents support public funding for afterschool programs.” (America After 3pm, Key Findings, 2009)

“Unlike in school, in after-school programs, skilled performance matters most—not standardized test scores” (Neuman, 2010).

Definition of After-School Programs
After-school programs are designed to present educational or recreational opportunities to the population's youth ( Safe Youth, 2007). Throughout the years they have been modified, improved, and multiplied to provide an outlet for children of all ages to learn and grow in a fun and positive environment.

Why Have After School Programs?
In the early 1990’s, communities had seen an increase in crime. Crime had tripled after 3:00 pm, partly because this is when children are let out of school, and many students are left to care for themselves. Students who are not in afterschool programs are more likely to get involved with drugs, alcohol, and sex. After school programs keep kids protected, promote learning/increase academic achievement, and helps working families.(Neuman, 2010).

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“A breakthrough study from Johns Hopkins University establishes that students who are most at risk of dropping out of school can be identified as early as middle school through key indicators – poor attendance, unsatisfactory behavior and course failure in math and English. When just one of these off-track indicators is exhibited by a child as early as the 6th grade, students have a likelihood of less than 25% of graduating from high school.” (City Year 2010)

[|U.S. Department of Justice]

[|Safe Youth]


 * Examples of After School Programs: **

City Year
City Year was founded in 1988. Volunteers called “corps members,” give a full year service being tutors, mentors, role models, and leaders of after school programs in urban schools throughout the United States. The goal of City Year is to help students stay on track-or get back on track to graduate. The “corps members” remain in the schools from the beginning of the school day to running the after school programs. They provide, academic support, monitoring children’s attendance, positive behavior support, after school programming and in school programming such as assemblies, and activities to improve the school environment. The volunteers teach elementary middle, and high school students how to be active members of their community by leading community service projects. Also, during the student’s spring and winter breaks the City Year corps members run an engaging and educational camp, called “Camp City Year.” City Year has 20 locations within the United States, and also has expanded to Johannesburg, Africa, and London, England. The whole idea of City Year is to keep Children in School, off the streets, and increase their chances of graduating High School.



YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association)
YMCAs provide a variety of activities from leadership building programs to athletic clubs. These programs serve children ranging from elementary school up through high school, of all races, and from all different socioeconomic backgrounds. Every program affiliated with the YMCA instills their "core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility," with everyone involved. []
 * One of the nations largest childcare providers
 * Over 20 million members
 * Almost 10 million children participate in YMCA sponsored programs
 * 2,686 YMCAs have been established around the country
 * 1,518 YMCAs across the country are located in and work closely with communities with residents that are living below the United State's median family income average
 * Non-profit organization
 * Receives $5.96 billion in total revenue each year[[image:YMCA.jpg width="467" height="292"]]

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** At-Risk Urban Youth Non-Profit Organizations: ** 1. ** Fresh Air Fund ** : This is a program founded in 1877 that helps out inner city children in New York, since most of these families can not afford summer vacations children are taken to spend two weeks in New England with a different family, where they get to live a different life of games and fun. More than half of the children who get to do this return to their New England family every summer until the age of eighteen.

2. ** Harlem Children's Zone ** : A program founded in 1970 that features a multitude of services now helping at-risk children within a 60-block radius of Harlem.

3. ** Chess in the Schools ** : This is a program that teaches at-risk children the strategies to chess, which may sound silly to you, but helps stimulate minds. This program also gives free lunches and helps with college preparation.

4. ** Homeboy Industries ** : This is a program in Los Angeles that helps former gang members. This program is very helpful as it gives these at-risk adolescents a chance to gain an education, gives them legal help, regular counseling, provides employment opportunities, and can even assist with tattoo removals. This program is smart because it helps turn adolescents who have made bad decisions lives around and set them on the right track.

5. ** Youth Entertainment Studios ** : This is a creative organization that lets at-risk youth have some fun. It includes free workshops such as recording studios, television production, and other creative projects. This is a good way to keep at-risk youth busy with something they can also have fun with.

** How You Can Help ** : All of these organizations have websites with more information. You can either make a donation or contribution to these organizations, or can volunteer to help out in several different ways. (www.razoo.com, 2009.)

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=References=

City Year Inc. (2010 ). Helping Students Stay in and On Track //. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from City Year: http://www.cityyear.org/impact.aspx

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (2007). // After School Programs Fact Sheet. // Retrieved April 20, 2010, from Safe Youth: http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/facts/afterschool.asp

Neuman, S. B. (2010, April). // Empowered: After-school programs are more than just safety nets. They promote positive development and and expand childrens goals for school and beyond. //Retrieved April 15, 2010, from Educational Leadership: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&hid=111&sid=ea0e1280-33b6-4aaf-b65e-c19808a022bc@sessionmgr110

Centers For disease control and prevention (2007). After School Programs Fact Sheet. Retrieved April 17, 2010.// //[]// Five Unique Nonprofits for At-Risk Urban Youth// (2009). []