Why After-School is Important

	At a Glance: » More than 14 million American kids, including 40,000 kindergarteners, have no adult supervision after school. The after-school hours are prime time for unoccupied kids to smoke, drink, use drugs or become victims of crime. Teens who are unsupervised after school are 37 percent more likely to become parents.

We expect a lot from kids. We expect them to learn all they need to become productive members of the workforce, keeping the U.S. dominant in the global economy.

We expect them to master challenging content in literacy, math, science and other subjects, while also developing their talents and creativity.

We expect them to be healthy and mindful of the need to stay active, though many have few safe places to play.

We expect them to graduate from high school in four years, regardless of the difficulty of their life circumstances. Right now, fewer than two in three New York City kids cross that finish line on time.

Schools can't give kids all they need in seven hours a day. Families can't do it all in the hectic hours between work and bedtime. Higher income families recognize this, which is why they pay for their kids to have homework help, music lessons, art experiences, team sports and other precursors to 21st century careers.

If we want all kids to meet our expectations, we've got to close the experience gap between kids with more and fewer advantages by giving all kids equal opportunities to develop to their fullest potential.

The hours between 3 and 6 PM are the time, and after-school is the place.

Publicly-funded, comprehensive after-school programs narrow the gap, giving all kids an equal shot at success. As kids come of age, they become places to build pressure-free relationships with adults that keep kids on track to graduate. They are vital for the health and happiness of kids, for the stability of the communities where they live, and for everyone's future.