Bringing Education to After-School Programs
             Quality school age care programs are much more than just baby-sitting services. The need for quality after-school programs has steadily increased over the past few years. The parents of more than 28 million children work outside the home. A recent consensus indicated that nearly seven million youths are left home alone on a regular basis (Ariz. School Age Coalition, 2002). These children would benefit from attending a quality after-school program. Today's families frequently are composed of either a single parent who is employed or two parents who are employed. Because of these changes in the nature of families, children are either staying at home alone or participating in a wide variety of after-school programs.
             Since after-school programs are becoming a way of life for many families in America, educators and their communities have become more aware than ever that what children do in their out-of-school time contribute to their social development and to their success in school. Children spend only 20% of their waking hours in school. It is estimated that up to 40% of children's time is "unstructured, unsupervised, and unproductive" (Shortt, 2001). Only fourteen percent of primary grade children attend formal after-school programs compared with 27% of children who are cared for by relatives or by family child care providers after school (Brimhall, Reaney & West, 1999). The other 59% depend on a patchwork of programs, lessons, structured activities and self-care each week. Although federal government and private foundation funding has increased recently for after-school programs, research indicates that there are not enough programs available to meet demand (Halpern, 1999) This paper is an overview of the valuable educational benefits the after-school programs can provide elementary aged children and, more specifically, what the benefits are for the...