Nutritious snacks provide the hook that bring children into the afterschool program. LA's BEST has worked hard to overcome various barriers faced within the schools. Regular school staff are willing to stay longer at the school because the afterschool program is there helping to change the school environment after school hours. LA's BEST has rigorously tracked its students and evaluated its program based on student, parent, teacher, and administration feedback. In evaluations, students report liking school more and feeling safer.
Parents worry less about drugs, gangs, and other inner city problems.
After two years of participation in LA's BEST, students' grades and performance have gone up, across every student level and across ethnicities. Administrators report that kids fight less in school, as they develop better social skills through after school activities. America could sharply reduce crime if government invested more in programs to help children and youth get a good start. These partnerships have supported GDCCs efforts to locate new sites and recruit volunteers to provide enrichment activities. During the academic year in Dallas County and Plano, more than 150,000 children eligible for free and reduced-price school meals take advantage of the National School Lunch Program.