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Physical Activity
Promoting Health: Strategies
After School Care Programs
With nearly two-thirds
of school-aged children and adolescents living with a single employed
parent or two parents who are both employed,37 the need for
programs to take care of children outside of school hours is great. Almost
30% of public schools and 50% of private schools offered before- and/or
after-school care in 1993–1994.38 Many out-of-school programs
are now taking care of students before school, after school, and during
weekends, school holidays, and summer vacation. These programs are often
called Expanded Learning Opportunities, Extra Learning Opportunities, or
Community Learning Centers to make the point that they build on what
students have learned during the school day and provide enrichment
activities based on a student’s strengths or interests. These programs
offer a variety of activities, including sports, free play, dance, art,
tutoring or homework help, mentoring, and community service. A 1999
Department of Justice report concluded that after-school recreation
programs may be a promising approach to preventing delinquency and crime.39
Strategy 5:
Enable more after-school care programs to provide regular opportunities
for active, physical play.
After-school care
programs can provide substantial amounts of health-enhancing physical
activity and opportunities to practice skills taught in physical education
courses. The NSACA Standards for Quality School-Age Care35
calls upon programs to offer children “regular opportunities for active,
physical play” (Appendix
21).
The U.S. Department of
Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program provides
grants to inner-city and rural communities to offer school-based expanded
learning opportunities, including before-school, after-school, weekend,
and summer programming. Funding for the program increased from $40 million
in 1998 to $453 million in 2000; 2,253 communities applied for grants in
FY 2000, and 903 grants were awarded, serving 650,000 children in
approximately 3,600 public schools.
Although most of the
21st Century Community Learning Centers include some kind of recreational
activities, after-school care programs need guidelines, training,
technical assistance, and financial incentives to help them provide
physical activity opportunities that are developmentally appropriate,
safe, and enjoyable. Physical activity can be more strongly encouraged
through this program, which should be expanded to meet the tremendous need
for after-school services in communities nationwide.
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