Safe and Smart: Making After-School Hours Work for Kids - June 1998

A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Communities Meeting the Need for
After-School Activities


Community Education Centers, St. Louis Public Schools
St. Louis, Missouri
Contact: Ron Miller, 314-773-7962

The St. Louis Public School District operates 16 Comprehensive Community Education Centers--nine elementary school sites and seven middle school sites. Approximately 18,000 to 22,000 youth and adults participate in Community Education programs, which have been offered by St. Louis Public Schools in partnership with the city government since 1968.

Operating throughout the year and during the summer, Community Education Centers (CEC) are open four days a week from 6:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., and some facilities remain open on Friday evenings and weekends. Day camps and teen drop-in activities complement academic course offerings during the summer. All CECs have after-school programs for youth, including tutoring and homework assistance, cultural enrichment, recreation, organized team sports, violence and drug prevention, and other activities that enhance academic achievement. Additionally, career exploration programs for teenagers are offered at some CECs, and adult programming is available through general education, home and family, arts and crafts, recreation, vocational, and college courses.

Each CEC has a Community Council of local residents, parents, service providers, elected officials, local business leaders, clergy, and youth. The Councils meet at least once a month to assess and advise on the needs of the program. Each CEC has an administrative team of a principal, instructional coordinator or administrative assistant, and a CEC coordinator responsible for implementing and monitoring all services. Each CEC also has an Action Team that meets regularly to facilitate collaboration and cooperation among the service providers. Metropolitan St. Louis Police Department School Beat Officers, City of St. Louis Neighborhood Stabilization Officers and AmeriCorps members also comprise the Action Teams. The Action Teams make use of information from ongoing evaluations of the program.
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