Afterschool Research Paper

Words: 652
Pages: 3

The Necessity of Afterschool Programs for Children in Poverty In the United States there are thousands of children suffering from a horrible tragedy called, poverty. Approximately 37 percent of Americans live in poverty during some time in their childhood (Ratcliffe & McKernan, 2014, p. 3). Although it may not be possible to completely eliminate childhood poverty, community organizations that offer after school programs can greatly improve the lives of children in low-income families. After school programs are desperately needed for children in low-income families throughout the United States because they provide healthy meals, a safe atmosphere, and educational support. One issue that children in poverty face is malnourishment from either not having enough food to eat or not having healthy food choices available to sufficiently …show more content…
According to The Importance of Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs in African-American and Latino Communities (2013), “A 2012 report by the Urban Institute found that children living in poverty are nearly 90 percent more likely to not have a high school degree by the time they are 20 years old” (p. 5). There could be multiple causes of this issue, such as a lack of materials or support at home. After school programs can help children hindered by poverty by providing them with adults who encourage them and helping them with their educational needs. As stated in the Afterschool Alliance’s national fact sheet, (n.d.), “An analysis of 68 afterschool studies found that students participating in high-quality afterschool programs went to school more, behaved better, received better grades and performed better on tests compared to non-participants” (p. 1). Therefore, the educational experience of many students in poverty can be drastically transformed by the help of after school