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Report calls for more after-school programs Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A survey of 3,700 Arkansas children in grades 6 through 12 found that half of the students were unsupervised after school on a regular basis, according to a new report released Monday calling for more after-school programs in the state. The survey by students at the Clinton School of Public Service also found that a majority of the children would consider attending an after-school program if their school offered one. The report offers recommendations to the Governor's Task Force on Best Practices for After-School and Summer Programs. Gov. Mike Beebe created the task force earlier this year. Hispanic students have the lowest participation in after-school programs but would be the most likely to participate if programs were available to them, the survey found. The survey also found that Northwest Arkansas has the greatest need for more after-school programs, and Pulaski County has the least need. "These findings are very significant in regards to the gap between after-school care supply and demand throughout the state," said Paul Kelly, senior policy analyst for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, who is working with the task force. State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, a member of the task force, said he was not surprised by the finding that many Arkansas children are unsupervised after school. Offering good programs for those children is critical, he said, but "a lot of the time it comes down to money." Broadway is president of the board of directors of the Bryant Boys and Girls Club, which partners with the local school district to provide programs such as after-school tutoring. "I think it's going to probably vary from community to community as to what works well, but especially with competition for dollars, I think the best type programs that are out there are ones where you have a community commitment to making sure it's done and done well and done right," Broadway said. Former state Sen. Peggy Jeffries of Fort Smith, state executive director of the conservative Eagle Forum, said she knows church and civic groups provide some excellent after-school programs, but Jeffries said to the extent the report advocates more school-sponsored programs, she disagrees. "The primary responsibility for a child's welfare should not be taken over by the state, and I feel like more and more that's happening," she said. Clinton School students Jose Guzzardi of San Paulo, Brazil, Marquita Little of Little Rock and James Mitchell of Cleveland, Miss., completed the report as part of the school's practicum public service program. Sixteen schools were selected randomly to participate in the survey. The Clinton School students also sent questionnaires to school principals and organized focus groups with parents in each of the state's four congressional districts. In addition to calling for more after-school programs, the report cites a gap between the types of after-school activities that parents and students are interested in and what is offered. For example, students rated team sports and arts and crafts as two of their most desired after-school activities, yet those types of programs were the least offered. The report also argues for more affordable after-school programs and recommends efforts to increase public awareness of the programs. ------- On the Net: www.aradvocates.org |
