AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS IMPACT CHILDREN’S LIVES

What do after-school programs in Detroit mean to the children and parents they serve? Listen to the voices:

“They keep our kids on the right track.”
“They help with school subjects.”
“It’s a place to go after school and learn something.”
“Oh, my, they’re a blessing.”
“They provide discipline in the best sense of the word.”

The results affect each of us – and they are boundless. Take Lloyd, a senior in high school. He has attended the same program for 10 years. “There aren’t many programs like this one….” he says. “It’s a blessing; they have kept me on the right track.”

That track is leading Lloyd to Eastern Michigan University where he plans to study chemistry and education. He wants to be a chemistry teacher. “My biology teacher, who also is my mentor,” he explains, “is exactly the kind of science teacher I’d like to be...”

Despite a class schedule that includes English, Spanish, entrepreneurship, advanced placement biology and weight training, he tutors 5-8 year old children for two hours at the after-school center before doing his homework or taking a computer class in the Intel Computer Center. Since 9th grade, he has run track and field and cross country for his high school.

Studies say that after-school activities make a huge difference in the lives of children. Lloyd’s story, and hundreds of stories like his indicate how essential it is to get more children involved. Self esteem, confidence and competence soar. The students stay away from drugs; violence plummets; and the students are less likely to become teen parents or to contract a sexually transmitted disease. With the focused effort of Mayor’s Time, participation in after-school programs has increased to 45% of the school-age children in Detroit, up from about 20% in 1999.

But, after-school programs have been available for some time. What value has Mayor’s Time added to the formula?