More money needed for after-school programs

By Andrew Freeman

September 29, 2008

The good news is that the public and Baltimore City leaders increasingly realize the importance of after-school programs to keep kids safe, active, engaged in school, and exposed to a variety of opportunities. The bad news is that the demand for those opportunities far exceeds the supply.

The need for after-school programs is so great that the Family League of Baltimore City, the organization responsible for coordinating the selection of after-school programs to be funded, received 142 applications this year. These requests totaled more than $11 million.

With only $5.3 million available, we could fund only 73 applicants, serving 6,000 kids. It would take an additional $570,000 just to fund the six quality programs from last year that did not receive funding this year, and another $5.2 million to fund the remaining 63 quality applicants.

Our collective energies should focus on increasing the size of the pie so that our youth can receive these essential opportunities.

Research shows that the critical hours of 3 to 6 p.m. are when unsupervised youth are most likely to engage in or be victims of negative behavior. It establishes that youth who participate in after-school programs are more engaged in school and have higher school attendance, key indicators of long-term school success.

After-school programs help youth stay safe, avoid participation in gangs, receive needed academic support, and develop new interests and skills in areas such as the arts, sports, drama, and chess. These are opportunities that kids in the suburbs often have, but many youth in Baltimore City do not.

Mayor Sheila Dixon has been very supportive of these programs, putting $5 million into the City's general budget starting this year – an important step forward in assuring that funding is sustained. Additionally, the State provides $700,000 and the City Schools and local foundations provide matching funds. Nonetheless, the critical need is not being met.

Rather than pouring money into police, prisons, and related programs for kids who get into trouble, we need both short and long-term solutions.

For now, let's find another $2.5 million to fund at least 36 more quality proposals and place an additional 3,000 youth in after-school programs immediately.

For the future, let's work together to increase city, state, and private funding to sustain current programs and bring these vital opportunities to all deserving youth.

Other cities have led the way in finding designated funding sources for these critical programs. They include a tax on liquor sold by the drink (as in Philadelphia), dedicating a small portion of the city's property taxes to after-school programs and to recreation and parks (as in Chicago) or using some of the interest on the city's "rainy day" fund.

We owe our kids no less.

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More money needed for after-school programs

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