Statewide network supporting quality afterschool programs
A child's day does not end when the last bell rings. Soccer practice, club meetings, tutoring, part-time jobs and homework fill the rest of the busy day. These activities are important to a child's development and well being.
For many children, however, the afternoon hours are unsupervised and unstructured. According the National League of Cities, 8 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 go home to an empty house. For cities and towns in South Carolina, this time can mean heightened risks of delinquent crime, and more importantly, missed opportunities to shape young lives.
Cities and towns across South Carolina have partnered with local organizations to provide afterschool programs for youth in their communities.
The South Carolina Afterschool Alliance is an organization that provides a statewide network of leaders to support quality afterschool programs in the state. The SCAA encourages partnerships between organizations invested in afterschool programs and promotes best practices for those seeking to provide a positive environment for school-aged children.
The City of Columbia, along with the Richland School District One and the SCAA, hosted a Lights on Afterschool legislative breakfast. More than 300 people, including legislators, attended to hear about the need for more afterschool options in Columbia.
The City of Charleston partnered with the Charleston County School District to transform local schools into "community learning centers."These centers incorporate the whole community to provide an array of programs and services such as academic support, cultural enrichment opportunities and recreational outlets.
"These high-quality, out-of-school-time programs contribute to the vitality of our city," said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. "When available, they offer great opportunities for learning and development while also reassuring working parents that their children are in safe, supervised settings. In the absence of such programs, the afterschool hours become prime times for drug and alcohol abuse, car accidents, violence, and other dangers and risky behaviors."
Other towns are supporting their afterschool networks and increasing awareness around the state. The National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education and Family pledged financial and technical assistance for a statewide summit. SCAA will use a $5,000 grant to organize a mayors meeting to exchange best practices and form new partnerships.
Mayor Carthel Crout of Williamston, a member of the planning and host committee, has already initiated talks of afterschool programs in his town. "We're working with a local center to get a program up and running," he said. "With the economy the way it is, lots of parents are working, which means lots of children are alone."
The summit is still in its planning stages, said SCAA Executive Director Zelda Waymer. "We want to address head-on the critical issues that face cities and towns today, and what afterschool programs can do for those issues," Waymer said.
These efforts reach outside of South Carolina. The cities of Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich., have helped the Michigan Afterschool Partnership ease state regulations for afterschool programs serving older youth, leading to significant cost savings and making these programs eligible for more funding.
The Colorado Afterschool Network and the City of Denver worked together to survey local afterschool providers, and plan to do similar surveys in other cities across the state.
In Connecticut, mayors and other city leaders helped the statewide network successfully advocate for a $4.5 million line item in the state budget for afterschool programs.
The National League of Cities offered numerous suggestions on ideas municipalities can use to expand afterschool opportunities in their communities. These include promoting partnerships; assessing local resources and needs through surveys and data analyses; and broadening access to ensure that all children, including those from low-income families and neighborhoods, have opportunities to participate and financing a citywide system for afterschool opportunities that supports stability and long-term growth.
For more information on afterschool networks in South Carolina, contact the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance at 803.254.5454 or visit its Web site at www.scafterschool.com.
Courtesy of the Municipal Association of South Carolina UPTOWN Magazine.