DCBPS supports a variety of programs that use out of school time as their point of entry to fill children’s unstructured time with activities that promote health, well being and achievement.

Goals

• To increase the city’s capacity to provide out-of-school programs and activities for all children;
• To target specific populations with special and critical needs; and
• To improve the quality of existing and emerging programs for children and youth.

• Serving children from the primary grades through high school;
• Maximizing use of existing public buildings for after-school programs;
• Building partnerships with community organizations;
• Setting programmatic goals and standards designed to assure quality and accountability;
• Responding to the diverse needs of children and youth in after-school programs;
• Setting fair and reasonable polices for parental payment;
• Promoting the positive development of youth;
• Seeking new solutions to transportation issues;
• Fostering linkages to the community; and
• Meeting the health and safety needs of young people.

• Children in grades 7-12;
• Children with special needs including physical disabilities, developmental delays, histories of substance abuse, etc.
• Children from neighborhoods with the following risk factors: poverty, low birth weight babies, single parent families, incidents of child abuse and neglect, lack of access to health insurance, juvenile crime rates and prioritization with the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI).
• Children with few out-of-school time resources

• After School Programs, which target younger (elementary school) children and provide childcare as well as enrichment and recreational opportunities. These often take place 3-5 afternoons a week, may be enrollment or drop-in programs, may or may not be licensed and emphasize enrichment experiences, specialized instruction, athletic activities, and/or other diverse topics and formats.


• Youth Development Programs, which address middle and high school students, focus less on childcare, and concentrate heavily on preventing risky behaviors, nurturing skill development, and/or providing access to careers. Successful youth development programs often employ strategies such as mentoring , community service, on-the-job training, flexible schedules, topic –specific programming and extensions into evening and weekend activities.

• Greater academic achievement, as evidenced by higher grades and better test performances.
• Involvement in fewer risk behaviors, such as experimentation with sex and drugs and participation in violent activity.
• Better youth leadership skills, including increased self esteem, improved social relationships and higher hopes and aspirations for the futures.