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After-school Programs
A Creative, Safe Outlet for Our Youth
By Teri Brown
According to Shah, recent research shows that there are 5 characteristics of high-performing after-school programs:
1. The programs offer a broad array of enrichment activities.
2. They offer opportunities for skill building and mastery.
3. They offer intentional relationship building.
4. There is a strong, experienced leader/manager, supported by a trained and supervised staff.
5. They have the administrative, fiscal and professional-development support of the sponsoring organization.
"Parents should be looking for a range of choices for their child to select from," Shah says. "They should look for a low staff to student ratio. They should look at participation rates and see if children are interested in the program offerings. And they should definitely pay attention to the staff and the program director to determine if they can manage well and whether the children have developed a rapport with them. Working parents often don't have time to take their children to museums, libraries and other learning-based fun field trips. Many times after-school programs can provide opportunities for children to take advantage of community institutions and participate in community service projects."
Jennifer Key from Birmingham, Ala., has had her son in an after-school program for over a year and says that he loves it. "He no longer feels left out because he has not been enrolled in an after school sport," Key says. "My son is not the athletic sort and so I was reluctant to sign him up for all the sports other children are involved in. It gave him an extracurricular activity that suited him."
No matter what your reason for sending your child to an after-school program, you will be able to find one to fit your needs and the needs of your child. By supporting after-school programs, we can make the 3 to 7 "danger zone" a safety zone.
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