After-school programs alter lives of at-risk youth: park and recreation department-sponsored programming is effective in reducing crime and educating children.

School typically lets out around 3 p.m. But most children's parents do not get home from work until 6 p.m. or later. What do children do during these crucial late afternoon hours? Across the country, local park and recreation departments operate after-school programs that provide quality educational and enrichment activities for kids while keeping them safe and out of trouble.

According to the Census Bureau, at least 7 million "latchkey children" return to an empty house on any given afternoon because their community does not offer sufficient, affordable after-school programs providing educational and enrichment opportunities. Children and their families need more after-school programs to fill this critical gap, and local park and recreation departments can help by offering more programs in their communities.

When left unsupervised, children are most at risk between 3 and 6 p.m. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, it is during these hours that children are most likely to commit or be victimized by crime; to smoke, drink or use drugs; to engage in premature sexual activity; or to get involved in gang-related activity. After-school programs have been proven in a variety of research studies to decrease juvenile crime and violence, reduce drug use, cut smoking and alcohol abuse, and decrease teen pregnancy. Furthermore, research demonstrates that in comparison to unsupervised peers, children who participate in after-school programs show improvement in standardized test scores and decreased absenteeism and tardiness.

Targeting At-Risk Children

While structured after-school programs can provide positive environments for all young people, special attention should be paid to ensure that programs target the children most in need of supervised activity. Children who tend to enroll in after-school programs are often those who are already the most likely to participate in organized activity. Public park and recreation agencies need to reach those children who by other standards (socioeconomic status and school success) may be most in need of, and most likely to benefit from involvement. By focusing on attracting students who stand to see the largest benefits from extra learning opportunities, park and recreation agencies can make a substantial impact on improving the well-being of today's youth.

To help attract the target audience, recreation program planners must design programs that involve activities, events and recreational outlets that are culturally sensitive and socially interesting. Program planners need to get to know the population they seek to target by engaging them and surveying their desires, interests and wants. For example, a program aimed at children in urban areas that invites them to hone their music-mixing skills or their DJ talents would have more success than a program that teaches kids how to play card games such as bridge in the same urban setting.

Federal Funding Solutions

There are several federal funding streams that can offer local park and recreation agencies the money they need to implement after-school programs. The following is a sample of some of the federal grants that are available to local park and recreation departments. More detailed information including the application processes, matching funds requirements and contact information can be found at: www.afterschool.gov.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

This U.S. Department of Education program awards grants for after-school services. These grants are designed to expand academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low-performing schools. The idea behind the grants is to open the schools for broader use by their communities. These centers can offer students recreational programs that are designed to reinforce and complement the child's regular academic program.

Title V Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs

To keep all children safe and out of trouble, the U.S. Department of Justice offers grants to support youth development, prevention and intervention efforts. Title V provides states with matching funds for community-based prevention programs that include primary prevention aimed at high-risk youth with no prior contact with law enforcement.

Community Services Block Grant 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsors these grants to support programs that alleviate the causes of poverty in distressed communities. The grants can fired programs designed to provide character building, sports and physical fitness activities for low-income children.

Safe School/Healthy Students Initiative

These grants, offered by HITS, can be used to promote healthy childhood development and prevent violent behaviors through education, mental health, law enforcement and social services systems. Funds can be used for after-school programs that focus on violence prevention and intervention methods, including those taught through recreational activities.

Federal Child Nutrition Programs

When after-school programs provide nutritious snacks and meals, they improve the health and well-being of the children they serve. These programs also play an important role in combating childhood obesity by reinforcing healthy eating habits and providing outlets for physical activity.

To receive federal nutrition program support, the activities that park and recreation agencies provide must include educational and enrichment activities. Sports and recreation can be part of these programs as long as participation is open to everyone, and only limited based on space or other programmatic concerns.

Three federal child nutrition programs provide funding for after-school programs to offer nutritious snacks and meals to the children in their care. The National School Lunch Program provides reimbursement to school-sponsored after-school programs for snacks. A school-sponsored program can be operated by a school or another organization, such as a local park and recreation department, and need not take place on school grounds.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program provides after-school programs with snacks, and in some cases meals, if the program offers educational or enrichment activities. To qualify, park and recreation programs must be located in a low-income area where 50 percent or more of the children in a nearby school qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. The program is reimbursed at the highest rate of reimbursement for the snack it serves. If the program is not located in a low-income area, then only children age 12 and under are eligible for snacks, and the reimbursement is based upon the household income of the child's family.

Finally, the Special Milk Program reimburses public park and recreation agencies at a percentage of the cost for each half-pint of milk they serve. Any child from a family that meets income guidelines for free meals is eligible to receive free milk.

Public park and recreation agencies can play an enormous role in improving the lives of at-risk children by offering interesting, stimulating and enriching after-school programs. Programs that can attract children and engage them in supervised activities will be the most successful at offering positive choices to turn kids away from risky behaviors. Yet, despite the obvious promise of after-school programs, funding and support for them remains tenuous--particularly with the current administration and Congress.

Action Alert

All of the federal funding streams mentioned in this article will be on the Congressional budget "chopping block" for fiscal year 2006. Join NRPA in advocating for full funding for these programs by getting involved in our RecreAction Network or staying tuned with our advocacy efforts through www.nrpa.org/advocacy.

Monica Hobbs Vinluan, J.D.

Monica Hobbs Vinluan joined NRPA in January 2005 as the senior policy associate for health and wellness issues. She has more than six years of legislative and policy advocacy experience, working on various health promotion issues.