Family
The Key to Keeping Kids Out of Trouble
By
Feb 26, 2006, 18:02

(ARA) – There is a big problem in America that needs to be addressed. Millions of families that need afterschool programs don’t have access to them.

When the federal government initiated the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative in 1997, it was supposed to help pay for the programs parents need to keep their kids safe and secure until the end of the workday. But new research by the Afterschool Alliance finds it isn’t meeting the enormous need.

According to the report, “Impossible Choices: How States Are Addressing the Federal Failure to Fully Fund Afterschool Programs,” 26 of the 50 states were unable to offer new grants for afterschool programs last year. That is because the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative has not received the funding increases authorized by the “No Child Left Behind Act.”

“States have been caught by a one-two punch from the federal government,” says Afterschool Alliance executive director Jodi Grant. “The states expected that Congress and the President would live up to the funding commitments they made in the ‘No Child Left Behind Act,’ and planned accordingly. But since funding for afterschool programs has been frozen, many states are finding that their multi-year grants consume their entire 21st Century Learning Centers budget. As a result, they are unable to fund new programs for millions of kids and families who need them.”

So what’s being done about it? Across the country, parents, educators, community leaders, afterschool staff, and others are calling on Congress to increase funding for this critical initiative. In some areas, communities are searching for ways to start their own local programs.

The Afterschool Alliance encourages anyone interested in starting an afterschool program in their community to reach out to lawmakers and remind them about the need for more federal support for afterschool programs. And it offers this advice:

1. Talk to parents, guardians, grandparents and concerned neighbors. Find out if they are interested in having afterschool programs. Working in larger numbers increases your strength and influence.

2. Talk to your school principal and/or teachers. Principals often control the use of school facilities and equipment after school, and they can be a great help in getting people together to start an afterschool program.

3. Contact others in your community who might help. Start with: local police, the mayor, city councilperson, local YMCAs, parks & recreation director, Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H, Urban League, Cooperative Extension Service, labor organizations, museums, PTA, local NAACP and La Raza, libraries, community centers, and churches, synagogues and mosques. Ask who can contribute ideas, time or money to start an afterschool program.

4. Call a meeting of the parents and other individuals who are interested in starting an afterschool program. Include elected officials.

5. Get your employer and local businesses involved. Employers have a vested interest in afterschool programs because they alleviate anxieties of employees with children. JCPenney is a great example of a company that supports afterschool programs.

For access to more resources on how to start up an afterschool program in your community, log on to www.afterschoolalliance.org. Courtesy of ARA Content

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