On any given day, more than 14 million children are on their own after school.  These young people are not only vulnerable, they are also losing out on important opportunities to learn and grow. 

With most American parents still working when the school bell rings, afterschool programs are a vital underpinning for communities and families.  Programs reduce the stresses on working families, and cut unexpected absences from work – impacts that are especially important in difficult economic times. 

But afterschool programs are also about the future.  Around the nation, afterschool programs are improving school attendance, leveling the playing field for disadvantaged youth, and increasing high school graduation rates.  They are giving kids a chance to experience arts, get active, explore career paths, contribute to their communities, and much more. 

We urge President-elect Barack Obama to:

Increase investments in afterschool funding, providing the level called for in No Child Left Behind, and additional funds through the Care and Development Block Grant and the Summer Term Education Programs for Upward Performance Act.

Create a much-need initiative focused on programs for older youth, who are under-served by programs but are at age when such supports are critical, and require programs that have greater variety and independence than these designed for younger children.

Rethink how, when and where children learn and make fundamental changes to educating children, incorporating the afterschool approach. This means tailoring academic instruction to meet the needs, abilities and learning styles of students; offering engaging, hands-on projects with real world applications; and tapping community-based organizations, businesses and others in developing new learning opportunities. 

Please learn more at www.afterschoolalliance.org

-Wendy King