[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 133 (Thursday, October 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10348-S10349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL! DAY
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to recognize today as Lights On After
School! Day. Lights On After School! is a project of the Afterschool
Alliance to open the doors of after-school programs around the country
to neighbors, community leaders, and the media so that everyone
understands the importance of after-school programs to providing
children of working parents with a safe place to be until their parents
are home and providing all children with cultural and academic
opportunities. Last year, more than 400,000 people participated in
Lights On After School! events and I hope that even more will
participate this year.
I have been a longtime supporter of the 21st Century Community
Learning Centers program, which provides federal support for local
after-school centers. For years, I have worked hard, as have many
others, including Senator Jeffords and Senator Boxer, to increase
support for these centers. And, with the appropriation having grown
from $750,000 in fiscal year 1995 to $1 billion in fiscal year 2002, I
think we've been phenomenally successful. I'm very disappointed that
the President wants to freeze support for these programs, but I'm
pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee's education
appropriations bill increases funding for
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fiscal year 2003 by $90 million. I hope that we can do even better in
the end.
I can think of few programs with as wide-ranging support as these
centers. Parents, teachers, youth groups, law enforcement, and others
all recognize that providing extensive, effective after-school programs
is one of the most important things we can do to support working
parents and to help our children be safe and reach their potential in
school and in life.
As evidence, a survey taken in August by the Afterschool Alliance
found that nine in ten voters agree that there should be organized
activities for children and teens after school every day that provide
opportunities for them to learn.
By more than two to one, voters disagree with the President's
proposal to freeze federal funding for after-school programs, and
sixty-three percent are concerned that existing programs may have to
reduce their services or close their doors due to lack of increased
funding.
More than nine in ten voters who have children in after-school
programs believe that their children are safer and less likely to be
involved in juvenile crime than children who aren't in after-school
programs.
Finally, 92 percent of these parents say their children do better in
reading, writing and math because of after-school programs, and 87
percent say that their children are less likely to use alcohol and
drugs because of after-school programs.
I thank the Afterschool Alliance for all their work, and urge my
colleagues to join me in commemorating Lights On After School!
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to
discuss an issue of great importance to our Nation's children:
afterschool programs. Children are much more likely to be involved in
crime, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancy in the hours after
school. In fact, about 10 percent of violent juvenile crimes are
committed between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. alone. The Urban Institute
estimates that at least 7 million and as many as 15 million ``latchkey
kids'' go to an empty house on any given afternoon. These children need
a place to go--an empty house should not be an option.
It is essential that we provide children with organized activities or
programs to go to during the critical afterschool hours. According to
the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services,
extracurricular activities like those provided by afterschool programs
have proven to reduce the number of students likely to use drugs by 50
percent and the number of students likely to become teen parents by 33
percent. Furthermore, studies have shown that students who participate
in extracurricular activities have better grades, feel greater
attachment to school, have lower truancy rates and reach higher levels
of achievement in college.
We have made great progress in the last 5 years toward making these
kinds of programs more widely available. Through the 21st Century
Community Learning Center Program, federal support for local
afterschool programs increased from $1 million in fiscal year 1997 to
$1 billion in fiscal year 2002. As a result, over 900 communities
across the Nation are now providing their children with a positive
alternative to unsupervised care. In addition, Senator Ensign and I
offered an amendment to the Leave No Child Behind Act to increase
funding for afterschool programs. As enacted, the bill will raise
afterschool funding to $2.5 billion by the year 2007.
To highlight the growing need for afterschool programs, the
Afterschool Alliance--a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring
that all children and youth have access to quality, affordable
afterschool programs by the year 2010--has announced the third annual
nationwide day of awareness for afterschool programs called ``Lights On
After School!.'' Today, schools, community centers, museums, libraries,
and parks across America will host activities to inform families about
the places currently open to children after school and the need to
provide additional centers where children can participate in engaging,
stimulating activities until their parents return from work.
I applaud the Afterschool Alliance for recognizing the important role
of afterschool programs in the lives of children, families, and
communities, and I enthusiastically support the effort to build
awareness through ``Lights On After School!.'' Promoting the safety and
well-being of our children is the best way to ensure that they have a
genuine opportunity to succeed.
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