After-school programs and activities in Philadelphia provide students with a safe, supervised place to go after the final school bell rings. Students left to their own devices during late afternoon are more likely to participate in dangerous behavior or become victims of crime, according to After School Activities Partnership (ASAP), a Philadelphia educational organization. Several private and public programs exist in the city to keep children supervised and active during the after-school hours.
Initiatives and Programs
Several Philadelphia organizations have after-school programs. ASAP runs several initiatives throughout the city, including after-school chess clubs and tournaments, dance and yoga clubs and a debate league. The Mural Arts program has initiatives designed to teach students to solve problems and express themselves. Other after-school programs feature free tennis lessons, bicycle safety and repair, basketball, ice hockey and soccer teams.
Academic Assistance
In addition to teaching children new skills such as yoga or tennis, most after-school activities include homework help. A program at the Free Library, LEAP, focuses on providing homework assistance as well as teaching basic computer and library schools to children. The programs at Arthur Ashe combine tennis instruction with tutoring and academic assistance as well as life skills instruction and college mentoring for older students.
Time Frame
Many after-school programs run for several weeks during each semester. The LEAP program runs every weekday throughout the school year. Programs sponsored by ASAP usually are for 10 to 12 weeks during the summer months and the academic year, but may go longer depending on the volunteers' schedules. ASAP programs tend to meet for about an hour each week at area recreational centers. Arthur Ashe's programs run for seven weeks during both the fall and spring terms, and offer four hours of tennis instruction weekly.
Benefits
Most after-school activities and partnerships in Philadelphia aim to instill self-confidence and life skills in the area's youth. Several programs, such as those run by the Mural Arts program, seek to empower students to take control of their futures by using their creativity and imagination. Some programs, such as those sponsored by the Police Athletic League, are designed to keep underserved children off the streets and away from crime and other trouble.
Cost
A study published in 2009 by America After 3 P.M. reported that the cost of after-school programs averaged $67 per week per child. In Philadelphia, many after-school programs are free for students because they are run by volunteers and receive funding from the city or other donors.
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