Afterschool programs need to be in the candidates' platforms
By Afterschool Ambassador (Dr. Traci Young Cooper)

Dr. Traci Young Cooper

During this highly anticipated election season, I encourage all candidates to establish a platform on committing to care for America's and South Carolina's kids beyond the regular school day. In particular, I think candidates need to get serious and visionary about ensuring all children have access to quality afterschool and extended day programs. These programs perform triple duty: they keep children safe during the sometimes perilous afternoon hours, inspire them to learn with an array of engaging and educational activities, and relieve working parents.

Our city's 21st Century Community Learning Center Afterschool Programs have continually demonstrated what it means to make a difference in the life of a child. Partners like Junior Achievement, The Palmetto School of Protocol and Etiquette, Millie Lewis Modeling and Talent Agency, and the Taekwando Center provide students with opportunities to excel in areas of character education, personal development, and self- esteem. These partners take students on field trips, teach them essential skills such as financial literacy, martial arts, and the importance of etiquette and manners.

The "Promising Afterschool Programs" study, released this past October by scholars Deborah Lowe Vandell and Kim M. Pierce of the University of California- Irvine and Elizabeth R. Reisner of Policy Studies Associates, examined 35 afterschool programs serving nearly 3,000 low- income students across the nation. The study focused on "high quality" afterschool programs - those typified by supportive relationships between staff and child participants and among participants, as well as rich and varied academic support, recreation, arts opportunities, and other enrichment activities.

The researchers' conclusion was "regular participation in high- quality afterschool programs is linked to significant gains in standardized test scores and work habits as well as reductions in behavior problems among disadvantaged students." In short, high quality afterschool programs produce results.

Afterschool and Extended Day Programs should be an election year "hot button" issue. Make no mistake about it, providing these opportunities and making this commitment should not just be a concern of politicians. Parents, local school districts, county, city and state governments, as well as businesses and philanthropists all have an important role to play. Dr. Traci Young Cooper

is the Director of Extended

Day Programs in Richland School District One. She

was named an Afterschool

Ambassador by the

Afterschool Alliance, a

non- profit public awareness

and advocacy organization

working to ensure that children

have access to quality

afterschool programs.