Why
help after-school programs better serve thousands
of inner-city youth?
Because
...
- Every
day, after the school bell rings, as many as
15 million school
children in America,
thousands of whom
live in low-income neighborhoods
throughout Los Angeles County, come
home to empty houses (Source:
U.S. Department of Education, 2004).
- FBI
studies have shown that the incidence of
juvenile crime
rises significantly between the after-school
hours of 3 and 6 p.m.
- Numerous
studies demonstrate that children
and youth who regularly attend high-quality
after-school programs have better grades and
conduct in school, better peer relations and
emotional adjustment and lower incidences of
drug use, violence and teen pregnancy
(Source: James Irvine
Foundation: CORAL Report, 2004).
- After-school
programs keep
kids safe, help working families
and improve academic achievement.
They bridge the gap between
school and home for so many "latchkey kids,"
particularly inner-city youth. These much
needed community programs offer safe havens
for study, creative and engaging alternatives
to gang involvement and substance abuse, and
the "peace of mind" working
parents need to be productive on their jobs.
Yet, sadly, a chronic shortage of these programs
exists. (Source: U.S. Department of Education,
After-School Programs: Keeping Children Safe
and Smart, 2000).
- While
adequate funding is critical,
quality after-school
programs depend just as much on the energy,
commitment and vision of well-trained, competent
staff and volunteer leaders.
In fact, Lisbeth Schorr,
renowned Harvard social analyst and author of
Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods
to Rebuild America (1998), determined after
extensive research that the presence of competent,
committed and well-trained staff ranks
among the top in terms of key characteristics
of successful social outreach programs.
So,
rather than awarding financial grants, our
AfterSchool
Leadership
Academy, offers quality leadership,
management and curriculum training, free-of-charge,
to help non-profit, neighborhood after-school
program leaders, representing the eight (8)
programs currently invovled with our City
Scholars AfterSchool Network®,
build and sustain more effective organizations
to better serve more than 10,000 inner-city
youth throughout the greater Los Angeles community.
To
learn more about our City Scholars AfterSchool
Network®,
click
here.
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