The Afterschool Action Kit was created with support from JCPenney to help schools and communities create local programs. Since 1997, the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants program has created funding for after-school programs. The nation is missing an opportunity by not providing stimulating activities after school, said Samelson. Frankly, everybody is concerned about the idle time children have after school and what they are doing with it. Many latchkey children are told to go home, stay inside, and not to answer the telephone or the door until their parents get home from work.
Nobody wants kids to live in that kind of isolation.
Sometimes, we let these things get away from us. The nonprofit organization has about 1,000 law enforcement members. The report states that the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. are prime time for teenage girls to get pregnant, for juveniles to be victims of or commit serious or violent crime, and for adolescents to be in or cause a car crash. Good after-school programs work, Evans said. They keep kids safe and out of trouble.