After School Activities

7 Pages 1803 Words

lved positive activities, and off of the street from negativity. However, after school programming in low-income neighborhoods is endangered and as such may affect the outcome of children—especially in impoverished neighborhoods. Current president George W. Bush apparently does not acknowledge the importance of out-of-school activities and as a result has cut federal funding.
In fact, American social policy should be geared toward sustaining programs, but federal funding of after school programs has been cut significantly and is in the process of being done away with in its entirety. Where will this leave the public education system, as plenty of children have benefited from participating in out-of-school activities? Perhaps the eradication of after school programming is an indication that parents may have to step up and contribute (as best as they can) to their child’s future. However, children living in low-income families and neighborhoods may be unable to do so, and as a result children are left without. Certainly, if out-of-school activities along with parental involvement in developing school-aged-children are diminished, than low-income children considered “at risk”— will see the percentage of low-income children (primarily who happen to be minorities as the most affected) will increase the annual number of school dropouts.
To prevent dropouts, the federal government may want to rethink imposing a significant federal budget cut of after school programming, as academic achievement and out-of-school activities correlate. (Valentine, J.C., 2002) Furthermore, as mentioned previously, school-aged-children involved in after school programs achieve academically and enable kids to be pro-social; thus leading to children developing “self-belief.” Without question, American government funding will equip childre...