Learn about . . .
Additional Resources
The Children’s
Aid Society’s Fact Sheet on After-School Programs
(.pdf, 2 pages)
The Dallas
County Community
Plan for Criminal Justice (.pdf, 124 pages)
Camp Fire USA’s
Response
Offer programs
at no cost to low-income families, removing the cost barrier
that prevents many
Operate programs
from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Provide programs
in communities that suffer from poverty and crime
Enable children
to receive a nutritious snack in a structured environment
that is in the same area where they live or go to school
One out of every five Dallas
children is being raised in poverty. (United
Way of Metropolitan Dallas)
Too
many Dallas County children have no safe place to be when school is out
(summer, holidays, before/after school hours).” (Dallas
County Criminal Justice Community Planning Committee, 2000).
Juvenile crime triples
when the school bell rings at the end of the day (according to Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids, 1997 as well as the Children’s
Aid Society and many other sources).
Four year’s
of childcare: $18,000 to $19,000
Four year’s of college at UT-Dallas: $13,000 to
$14000
(United Way of Metropolitan Dallas)
9.9%
report being hit, slapped, or deliberately injured by a boyfriend or
girlfriend within the last 12 months; and, a staggering 38.8%
report having ever been forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not
want to. (1999
Dallas Independent School District Health Survey of High School Student).
35% of school-age children are left on their own
after school from the time they are 12 (according to National
Training and Information Center).
An estimated 136,000
children ages 5-11 have
both or single parents in the workforce. However, there are fewer than 30,000
after-school
slots available (only enough for 21%
of the children who need them, according to Dallas
County Criminal Justice Community Planning Committee, 2000).
Children
are at a greater risk of being involved in crime, substance abuse,
and teen pregnancy in the hours after school — peaking between
the hours of 3 – 4 p.m. (The
Afterschool Alliance). That’s why Camp Fire USA Lone Star Council
concentrates all of its after school programs on the hours immediately after
school (in most cases, 3-6:00 p.m.)
On October 10, 2000, Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids released its newest report, America’s
After-School Choice: The Prime Time for Juvenile Crime, or Youth Enrichment
and Achievement, showing that the peak hours for
juvenile crime are 3 to 6 p.m.
While 40%
of low-income eighth graders do not participate in after school
activities, only 17% of their high-income peers do not participate in after
school programs (Children’s
Aid Society, 2002). That is why the majority of Camp Fire USA Lone
Star Council are offered to low-income families at absolutely no cost
to parents!
Of the
thousands of children who need after school programs in Dallas, there
are only enough after school slots to care for 12.5% of the children
who need them (Dallas Commission on Children and Youth).
Camp Fire USA currently serves over 7,000 children each year either through
our after school programs or through our free KIDTALK
program.
Children in self-care or under the care of siblings experience
greater fear of accidents and crimes (according to National
Training and Information Center)
While
children only spend 32% of their time in school, the average child spends
40% of his or her time outside of school, homework, meals, chores or working
for pay. These non-school hours represent the largest block of time in a
child’s life (according to the Children’s Aid Society).
Children without supervision are more bored, more likely to engage in
risk-taking behaviors and drug and alcohol use and are more often the victims
of accidents and abuse (according to National
Training and Information Center).
79% of teens
who participate in after school programs are “A”
or “B” students. Teens who do not engage in after school
activities are five times more likely to be “D” students
than teens who do (YMCA
of the USA. After School for America’s Teens, March 2001).
According
to the National Safe Kids Campaign (www.safekids.org),
2002, “ Younger
children, males, minorities and poor children suffer unintentional injuries
disproportionately.”
According to
National
Training and Information Center, children who regularly attend high-quality programs have:
Better peer relations and emotional adjustment
Better grades and conduct in school
More academic and enrichment opportunities
Less time spent watching TV
Students who spend 1-4 hours per week in extracurricular activities are
50% less likely to use drugs and one-third less likely to become teen
parents
Students show better achievement in math, reading and other subjects
compared to past performance and control groups
Programs show improved school attendance and improvement in the quality
and frequency of homework
Click
here for some more information
specific to Dallas.
Why We Need Camp Fire USA’s
After-School Programs
| Camp Fire USA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit youth development organization. The Lone Star Council is a United Way agency. |