California Leads the Nation in After-School Investment
Law enforcement report shows nearly 2,000 low-income schools still lack programs, endangering public safety
Contact: Jennifer Ortega, (916) 837-3904, jortega@calfightcrime.org
SAN FRANCISCO — California is leading the nation in its commitment to after-school programs. According to a new report released today by a statewide anti-crime organization, state- and federally-funded after-school programs provide safe and enriching activities for more than 400,000 California students each day, thanks to significant investments over the last dozen years. Yet many more low-income children are left unsupervised because there are still not enough programs to meet demand.
California’s After-School Commitment: Keeping Kids On Track and Out of Trouble, by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California – a bipartisan, non-profit anti-crime organization led by 400 sheriffs, police chiefs, district attorneys and victims of violence – shows that California invests over three times more in after-school programs than the remaining 49 states combined.
“Quality after-school programs are a crucial weapon against crime,” said San Mateo Police Chief Susan E. Manheimer, President of the California Police Chiefs Association and executive committee member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California. “Our public safety depends on California’s continuing, strong leadership on after-school programs.”
Crime-prevention and academic benefits
Research shows that after-school programs can help shut down the “prime time” for juvenile crime, which is 2-6 p.m. in California. It is also the time when kids are more likely to become the victims of crime. After-school programs offer constructive alternatives to gangs, drugs and crime. They also provide academic assistance and can keep students engaged and excited about going to school, and boost school-day attendance, academic achievement and graduation rates. For example, after three charter schools in South Central Los Angeles implemented THINK Together’s after-school program for the majority of their students, twice as many students scored at proficient or above on English and math standardized tests.
State, federal and private funding
The majority of funding for California’s after-school programs came from a 2002 voter-approved measure, which received wide bipartisan support and was championed by the Governor prior to his election. Proposition 49 – the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Act – provides