More Children and Teens in Need of a Safe Place to Go Afterschool
The start of every school year is marked with back-to-school sales and dentist and doctor appointments, but what is often overlooked is not what takes place during school, but when the bell rings at the end of the day: the number of children and teens left alone afterschool. According to the Afterschool Alliance, 15.1 million children in the United States are left unsupervised after 3 p.m. In California alone, 24% of children are left alone – responsible for taking care of themselves.
“When the school bell rings, learning does not have to end,” said Christopher Jefferson, Regional Child Care Director, Westchester Family YMCA. “The Westchester Family YMCA’s afterschool programs are a great way to keep children and teens not only safe, but engaged in fun and productive activities.”
Combining play with academics, the Y’s afterschool programs fill gaps in schools and in the Westchester and Venice community by offering enrichment through arts, music, physical education, sports and nutrition. Youth in the Coeur d’Alene Elementary School YMCA program (For grades Pre-K to 5th grade and include before and after school programs, and half-day Pre-K extension program) and Y-University program (Grades 3rd – 8th. Serving Kentwood Elementary School and Orville Wright Middle School), receive homework assistance and enrichment and can engage in sports, games, physical activities, artist expressions, drama, and much more.
Jefferson says that attending afterschool programs can have many lasting positive effects on youth, including helping children and teens develop interpersonal and social skills, perform well academically and develop habits that lead to positive behaviors, better health and educational achievement.
As one of the leading providers of afterschool programs, the nation’s Ys have been engaging children in afterschool programs for more than 50 years. Today, Ys impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of youth at afterschool programs at nearly 10,000 sites across the country. Afterschool programming at the Y focuses on the holistic development of youth, promoting creativity, a love for learning, academic success, friendship and character building. [Include the following language if your Y has financial assistance available:] Financial assistance is available to those in need, to ensure that every child and teen has the opportunity to learn and grow at the Y.
For more information about the Westchester Family YMCA’s afterschool program, please contact Christopher Jefferson, Regional Child Care Director, at 310-390-3604 or christopherjefferson@ymcala.org