Survey: What are WA Kids Doing After School?
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October 22, 2009
SEATTLE - Today is "Lights On Afterschool" day, held annually to honor the people and programs that keep kids safe and learning in the afternoon hours. A new report about after-school care says over the past five years, Washington is one of the few states with higher after-school enrollment, but it notes that budget cuts threaten to stall that progress.
Jen Rinehart, with the Afterschool Alliance, says the state used to help fund after-school care for low-income families, and the loss of that funding has made it harder for local school districts and other groups to provide the service.
"With all of the budget crunches, we're concerned there won't be as many programs for kids going forward, and we know that families are already stretched very thin, in terms of what they can pay for after-school care."
Although parents pay most of the costs of after-school care, Rinehart says it takes state and federal help to include children whose families can't otherwise afford it. 12 percent of Washington children participate in after-school programs, she says, and that's up from 8 percent, five years ago.
"Beyond keeping kids safe, which is absolutely important, after-school programs also really help kids grow and learn in new ways. And then, they also help working families, which is another key component - helping make sure that families can really juggle that balance between work life and family life."
According to the survey, about 336,000 Washington kids are home alone in the hours after school. Today, more than 110 programs across Washington have events and open houses planned as part of "Lights On Afterschool."
The full report, "America After 3 P.M.," and locations for "Lights On Afterschool" events in your area are available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.