BY REQUEST...
 JANUARY 1999

Benefits for the School and Community

The rewards of after-school programs are not limited only to students. Many benefits can also be reaped by the school itself and the surrounding community.

School-community relations. Quality after-school programs require partnerships with parents and the outside community. Such partnerships can acquaint others with schools in a very unique way. Specific benefits can include:

• More effective use of funding (e.g., better use of public libraries, parks, and recreational facilities)
• Increased capacity to serve children
• Increased business support and involvement
• Increased parental involvement and support of the school
• Maintenance or increase of student enrollments
• Improved school image (e.g., classrooms remain in use for more of the day thus discouraging the public from thinking that schools represent ineffective use of public resources)
• Decreased vandalism and delinquency
• Increased advocacy on the part of the community for the school (when community members are involved with the school more, they tend to become proponents of the school and its mission)

Crime rates. Because juvenile crime rates peak during after-school hours, and quality after-school programs provide structured, supervised activities, it is only logical that such programs can be directly linked to a decrease in juvenile crime. Furthermore, violent victimization of youth decreases, as does school vandalism.

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