After-school Programs in Monroe County

A recent survey conducted by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York found that “teens unsupervised after-school for three or more days a week were four times more likely to have committed a crime and used illegal drugs than teens that were supervised the entire week.” Beyond ensuring that our community’s children have a safe place to go at the end of the school day, recent research has found that after-school programs encourage child and youth development by providing academic enrichment, providing access to caring adult mentors, promoting child and youth social and emotional development, and promoting healthy habits. (See the Highlights)

The Children’s Agenda is committed to working with the community to increase access to after school programs. We are an active member in the Greater Rochester After School Alliance (GRASA), an initiative of the Rochester Area Community Foundation. (Visit the GRASA Website).

In Spring 2007, GRASA commissioned TCA to update a 2001 inventory of after-school programs in Monroe County. The 2007 inventory is intended as an update of the original report created by CGR in 2002 with the hope that it will allow GRASA to lead and plan the next steps to assure accessibility and quality in after-school programs for children throughout the community with particular emphasis on vulnerable city children.

The Highlights of the 2007 After-School Inventory
In 2007, 230 after-school programs served 8,000 children in Monroe County between the ages of 5-17 (this represents just 9% of the children who live in Monroe County in this age range). While there have been shifts in the population which have resulted in fewer children age 5-17 living in Monroe County today than there were 6 years ago, this drop represents a decrease in the percentage of the eligible population who are being served by after-school programs.

• Over 75% of providers offer care from approximately 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. and 75% offer care the entire year (school year and summer).
  Most of these programs serve the same children from one day to the next: Nearly 75% of programs are serving the majority of their participants for at least three days a week and over 90% of programs offer care 5 days a week.
• Approximately 70% of school-age children in Monroe County live in a 2-parent household where both parents work or a single-parent household where the parent works. (1) In the 2007 inventory, 83% of programs reported that all of their participants come from a household where the parent(s) work.
• Approximately 35 programs with a planned curriculum are offered free of charge, or for a nominal fee (approximately $6-10/month), including those offered at the Boys & Girls Club sites, the Southwest YMCA and programs funded by 21st Century and Advantage After School (offered by New York State) grants. There are also a number of programs available through the City of Rochester Recreation Centers.
  
  See Full Report