Many after-school programs in America are providing important services to children who need them most. These after-school programs are giving kids role models, enrichment, and safety that these children desperately need and may not get elsewhere.
America needs after-school programs because many communities have a lot of underprivileged children that face challenges. Their families have less access to resources, which means that they cannot afford to send their children to expensive tutors and activities after school. Both parents often work and they cannot afford a babysitter, so children often are stuck at home by themselves in the after-school hours. No one is there to help with schoolwork or to provide encouragement. These low-income communities often have high rates of crime and violence, so children who have no place to go after school might be unsafe or might get involved in crimes or other troublesome behavior.
After-school programs help fix these problems by giving underprivileged children a safe place to go and worthwhile activities to participate in. The programs provide helpful things to the children including help with schoolwork, role models, encouragement, and interesting and fun activities. They have been proven to help more children graduate from high school and go to college and to help decrease school absences and high school dropouts. They have also given children many skills they need for life. After-school programs play an important role in the lives of the children who go to them. The Boys and Girls Club of Mount Vernon alone has help many kids succeed. Some of its children went to the NBA and Denzel Washington (a famous actor) also went there.
73% of low-income members ages 12 to 17 who attend the Club regularly say they earn mostly As and Bs, compared with 69% of low-income youth nationally
How To Help
The after-school programs charge families very little and sometimes no money to participate. Most of them rely on donations, volunteers and other funding. Many people give a lot of their time and money to after-school programs. They help underprivileged children feel encouragement, safety, and happiness that everyone should feel throughout their lives. If you would like to donate, or help out a the after-school programs in Mount Vernon, they are really appreciative. You can donate supplies that they need, your time and anything else.
Here are the websites to go to if you would like to volunteer: