Relationship of Child Safety and Involvement with After-school Programs in Florida
The after-school programs provided by schools in Hollywood, Florida; Pembroke Pines, Broward County, and Dade County initially aim to help children academically. Tutors of these after-school programs provide additional support systems for kids who are having difficulties coping with their studies.
However, an interesting observation on these special school programs have been found to have a relationship with statistics on the incidence of violence towards school children. Statistics from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) of the US Bureau of Justice have shown that the rate of violence from 1973 to 2008 have steadily decreased since the emergence of after-school programs. Rates on crimes such as rape, robbery, murder, and assault have decreased by a 10 to 20 percent range within a span of 35 years. This survey was conducted as a follow-up study on another statistic regarding the fact that schools dismiss their last class at 3 pm, which is also the same hour when violence against under-aged children are at its highest.
After-school tutoring and enrichment programs for children from grades K-5 and up in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Broward County, and Dade County, Florida have done just that. Such a statistic on violence towards school children is truly alarming and such information has pushed educational institutions in Florida to further develop their after-school programs to not only help kids, but encourage more of them to actually take part in these activities. With most families having both parents working, after school tutoring and enrichment programs are needed more than ever. This service offered by the school unloads parents of the anxiety of their child's academic performance and safety after the bell rings and classes are dismissed. These programs also provide a wide set of options that benefit the kids, the parents, and the community. Social and emotional learning is part of the after-school curriculum whose objective is to go beyond the borders of academics and into the child's socio-emotional development. Integrating this aspect of development with the curriculum fills some of the gap children feel from their parents brought about by poor communication or dysfunctional relationships in the home. It's a lot like character education except that it is more in depth and a holistic approach to a child's emotional, psychological, and social learning. In addition to after-school programs, summer camps have also been proven to be good venues for the cognitive and social development of young school children.
Implementation of special school programs outside the borders of academic learning requires time, resources, and commitment from the school, the parents, community and the government. The collaborative efforts of these units will ensure the success of the program. This requires a structured set of plans that ultimately aim to provide the kids with safety and enrichment from their experiences. Teachers should set situations for maximum opportunity for growth and learning for the kids and themselves. Furthermore, after-school programs also serve as a venue for observing the special interests of children like science, arts, music, technology, and other topics. With these regular observations, schools can then adjust their academic curriculum to challenge and encourage kids to do better and keep them out of the streets and out of trouble.
Regular assessment, specifically for K-5 after-school programs in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Broward, and Dade County, Florida, have been conducted in various schools in state. Pembroke Pines and Hollywood's after-school programs are being annually revised to cater specifically to their school children. Enrichment and tutoring programs in Broward and Dade County have also gotten the attention of many parents looking for a support system for their children's academic needs. The assessment of these institutions aim to pinpoint any weak areas, as well as develop the stronger aspects of the existing programs. Using gathered data for improvement and designing effective assessment measures are continuously being done to achieve the objectives of everyone involved.
