[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E439-E440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 16, 1999

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from 
California, Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher for her comments about the 
importance of after-school programs. I appreciate and applaud her 
dedication to this issue. In addition, I welcome this opportunity to 
work with her to bring this issue to the forefront of the ongoing 
discussion Congress is having on how best to educate our youth.
  Indeed, evidence is continually emerging to prove what we have always 
intuitively known about the importance of out-of-school time for 
children, their health and well being, and their academic growth. 
Roughly five million children are unsupervised after school, leaving 
them at risk of accidents and ripe for undesirable behaviors ranging 
from smoking and drinking to sexual activity and violent crime. For too 
many of our children, the hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are spent 
engaged in delinquent or unproductive behavior. Television happens to 
be the No. 1 substitute for good after-school programs. Millions of 
children come home and plop in front of the television set after 
school, and I venture to guess that many are not watching educational 
programming. In addition, juvenile crime rates go up 300 percent after 
3 p.m. and over half of all juvenile crime occurs between 3 p.m. and 6 
p.m.
  This is quite disturbing, given that we know that the hours after 
school have become absolutely critical in a child's life. After-school 
programs can be exceptionally beneficial for kids. Good programs can 
give kids the chance to interact with their peers and adults in a 
positive way, to gain or improve new skills, to master educational 
material, to develop strong bodies, or to foster creativity. In 
addition, studies have shown that students who attend productive after-
school programs make significant academic gains, enjoy school more, 
feel more safe, and are less likely to participate in delinquent 
behaviors year round.
  We, as leaders of this Nation, need to focus on improving the quality 
of children's out-of-school time. I do not necessarily believe we have 
to spend billions of dollars to accomplish this task, but we should 
invest ourselves and our time. Up to date information is desperately 
needed to understand the dynamics, intricacies, strengths, and 
weaknesses of existing after-school programs. The last major study of 
after-school programs was completed in 1993 by the National Institute 
of Out-Of-School Time. This lack of up to date information is what 
drove me to hold several round table discussions with my constituents 
last year and to

[[Page E440]]

draft the ``After-School Children's Education Act (ACE Act)'' that will 
initiate a state-by-state study to help us understand what the current 
culture of after-school programs is, and where the gaps are in 
providing educationally enriching and personally fulfilling programs 
for kids. The ACE Act would not spend a lot of money, but it would set 
a ball in motion that can lead the Congress to better information and 
better decision making on how to proceed with meeting the needs of our 
children and families with after-school programs. I am thoroughly 
convinced that we must carefully focus our attention on children, 
especially in their earliest years. Children are eager and able to 
learn, but as they get older habits become ingrained and are harder and 
harder to break.
  It is a pleasure to join Congresswoman Tauscher today in emphasizing 
the importance of after-school programs for the future of our Nation's 
children and, in return, our nation's future.

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