Survey: Louisiana afterschool programs lacking

Afterschool hours can be a critical time, especially for working families in need of a safe and nurturing environment for their children.

That's where quality afterschool programs come into play. These programs can benefit communities and families by providing that safe environment, offering nutritious meals, helping improve academic performance and promoting student well-being.

However, a national survey by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3 p.m.," shows Louisiana's afterschool program participation rate is below the national average of 33 percent.

In 2014, 15 percent of Louisiana's children participated in an afterschool program, compared to 13 percent in 2009 and equal to 2004's figure. But 39 percent of children said they would participate in a program if one were available, according to the study.

Although participation in summer learning programs is up, demand for these programs is high.

"The situation in Louisiana and across the country is that families are looking for quality programs and not finding them," said Jen Rinehart, vice president of research and policy for Afterschool Alliance.

And demand is growing, she said.

That tasks local program leaders with attracting more volunteers, community and parental support and quality programs.

Volunteers of America North and Central Louisiana's LightHouse program provides a nurturing and safe environment for youths.

Chris Gabriel, executive vice president, said there is going to be an increase in the number of students who need what out of school time programs provide because there are more kids living in poverty and more single family households.

"One of the things afterschool programs need to do is look at what we're all doing that's working and learn from each other, and the things we're doing that's not working, how do we fix it," he said.

Gabriel said organizations need training and a network of support.

"Even though we all reach the same types of children ... there is so much need," he said. "There are enough kids to go around that need what we do."

Andrew Ganucheau, Louisiana Center for Afterschool Learning (LACAL) director, said parents working long hours need access to quality afterschool programming.

"According to the Afterschool Alliance, there are about 100,000 students in an afterschool program in Louisiana but there are 180,000 kids unsupervised," he said. "In Louisiana we don't understand what I saw in Chicago and Pittsburgh, which is those unsupervised kids cost your city."

Ganucheau said the costs come from either the youth repeating a grade or possibly ending up in the juvenile justice system.

Ganucheau said the approach LACAL is taking with afterschool programming is framing it beyond an education issue.

"It's about saving the city of Shreveport, the city of Monroe, the city of Alexandria, cities throughout Louisiana, money," he said. "Because every city that pays $10,500 for a kid to repeat a grade, it only costs $1,500 for a kid to join a quality afterschool program. And it costs $175 a day to put a kid in juvenile detention."

The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club in Shreveport offers a free afterschool and summer program for youths 6 to 18 years old.

Director Paige Smith, said six core areas are focused on in the summer program.

"Our key areas are character and leadership, education and career, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation," she said. "And we have an additional one — youth spiritual development."

The Boys and Girls Club also partner with other nonprofits and for-profit organizations to help implement programming at the center. Average enrollment for the afterschool program is 75 youths with average summer enrollment at 115.

Smith acknowledges that more afterschool and summer learning programs are needed in the city.

"Shreveport is what I like to call a rural big city and you have to have transportation to be able to get to certain afterschool programs," she said. "It's really hard for children who live on the other side of Shreveport to be able to participate in a free program because they can't get here. You almost have to have an afterschool program in each neighborhood to be able to serve all the kids that need to be served."

Shalon E. Lewis, center manager of SPAR's Valencia Park Community Center, moved to Shreveport from Los Angeles, California, where she grew up going to the Boys and Girls Club.

"That Boys and Girls Club pretty much saved my life so I know how important it is to have these afterschool programs," she said.

Lewis said the program at Valencia Park is very structured and homework comes first.

"And if they don't have homework, I always have books on hand," she said. "We have volunteers from Magnet High come over and help with tutoring and homework."

During the school year, Lewis said 20 to 25 youths participate in the afterschool program and about 30 in the summer program.

Mary Nash Wood, assistant director of marketing and media services for Caddo Parish schools, said in Caddo there are 45 afterschool and 24 summer programs for youths.

"The programs we see in Caddo that are really helping our kids are providing afterschool tutoring, feeding, academic enrichment, extended day," she said. "They're really into literacy and trying to hone in on getting kids excited about learning but also building on the skills they're already learning in the classrooms."

Ganucheau said LACAL is creating municipal coalitions and collaborating with organizations in order to get them to become data driven.

"One of the big things in order to get programs to be data driven is to have a quality framework in place," he said. "We've created a system that basically creates five best practices and you use those practices to identify what areas need improving and then we help with staff training and professional development and improve upon those areas."

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