Missouri afterschool and summer learning programs earn high grades from parents!
Comprehensive afterschool programs provide:
Academic Enrichment
Afterschool providers work to align programming with schools so youth can build on what they learned during the school day, but afterschool and summer learning programs specialize in making learning fun through games and projects. Youth who struggle with traditional learning often thrive in afterschool programs.
Enriching Experiences
Research shows that low-income rural and urban youth have fewer opportunities to learn through experiences, which reduces their opportunities for future work success. Afterschool and summer learning programs provide an array of experiences such as visits to colleges and trade schools, guests from various professional fields, field trips to zoos and museums and much more.
Family Engagement
As any teacher knows, a child’s family has a major impact on their learning and growth. Afterschool programs often have more frequent and positive interactions with families than schools since parents pick youth up from programs. Programs provide tools for parents to improve parenting skills, bond with youth and build job skills.
Social and Emotional Learning
Afterschool programs specialize in helping children develop social skills to get along with adults and children and emotional skills to deal with stress and solve problems creatively. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of these skills and youth need these interactions to catch up. Social and emotional learning helps youth avoid risky behaviors such as vaping, smoking and drug use.
In 2020, the majority of Missouri students with near failing grades (D+ or lower) who attended comprehensive afterschool programs raised their grades:
Missouri parents agree that afterschool programs:
89% of Missouri parents with school age youth
support public funding of afterschool programs to expand opportunities for youth in underserved rural and urban communities.
Support is strong and bipartisan:
Afterschool programs are a smart investment. Research shows that states and communities save $3 for every $1 invested in afterschool programs because they:
- Increase kids’ earning potential and attracts new employers
- Improve kids’ performance at school
- Reduce crime and juvenile delinquency