Looking further into after school programs (ASPs) and what they can offer the youth of America, I started to ask the question, what age groups are these programs reaching out to? Are ASP’s reaching mostly younger, grade school students, or are they able to go further and reach students in middle schools as well? I have searched through a variety of programs and the following are my findings:
- Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX: Pre-K through 4th 3
- YMCA of Austin, Austin, TX (and surrounding areas): Pre-K through 5th 1
- FUMC of Denton, Denton, TX: Pre-K through 8th grade5
- Kinkaid School, Houston, TX: Pre-K through 4th 4
- City of Ft Worth, Ft. Worth, TX: K through 8th 2
Out of the five programs that I looked into, only two of the programs extend the offer to children out of grade school. During middle school years, these pre-teens are going through puberty and need a mentor more than ever before.
All after school programs should have children of all ages spending those crucial hours after school and before their parents are home, average 3PM to 6PM, getting help on homework assignments and fun activities. “Fitness and activity are also
fundamental aspects of the after school programs, as participants are encouraged to participate in a variety of sports, games, and artistic pursuits in order to develop teamwork, improve social skills, and build self-esteem.”2
Middle school children are in the stage of their lives when their social life starts to boom. These students are at the age where they are more susceptible to peer-pressure. At this age they still need encouragement to do their homework and socialize in the proper manner. Without an after school program and being left on their own these kids are more likely to get in trouble and fall behind in school work.
With that being said, the next step in the process would be finding a way for after school programs to become enticing to this age group. What could programs do to round up more middle school kids in their tween years to want to spend three hours after school completing homework assignments and participating in after school activities such as sports games, cooking, and science experiments?
Resources
1"After School Care." YMCA. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016
2 "After School Program." City of Fort Worth, Texas. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
3"After School Program." Tarleton State University. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
4"After School Programs." The Kinkaid School. 2016. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
5"Preschool and Afterschool Care." FUMC of Denton. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
Hey Rachel! I totally agree with you that children in middle school do need a mentor to help them through puberty. I wish I had someone that I considered a mentor at that age.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I believe if we provided more mentors for children at this age, then we would find a lot of the problems at school would lessen. Children need guidance at this confusing age. By having someone to confide in and to lean on, these children can begin to understand puberty and their changing bodies and minds.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog and you made some great points. I agree that more after school activities are needed for middle school age children. For 7th and 8th graders athletics is an option but it doesn't fit everyone so a larger variety of clubs and organizations could be very beneficial.
ReplyDelete