Richland One’s After-School Programs win national award

Richland School District One’s After-Schools Programs received the Afterschool Champion Award from the Afterschool Alliance at a Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on May 21. The award recognizes the program’s efforts to establish, expand and improve educational after-school programs at each of the district’s elementary and middle schools.

Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Judy Y. Samelson presented the award to Kerry Abel, Director of Afterschool Programs at Richland County School District One, and parent Donyale Robinson and her fourth-grade son, Christopher, who participates in the after-school program at Webber Elementary School.

"We congratulate everyone at Richland County School District One After-School Programs for their deep commitment to improving student achievement and for setting such high standards for their after-school programs in Columbia," Samelson said. "Richland One offers a mix of after-school programs that give students a wide array of enriching activities that help them reach their full potential. We’re proud to recognize the program for its efforts."

The Richland One Office of After-School Programs is responsible for supervising the district’s before-school and after-school initiatives, including child-care programs at 28 elementary schools, athletic tutorial programs at nine middle schools and seven high schools, and comprehensive remediation after-school programs at 28 elementary and nine middle schools. The district’s commitment to quality programs was demonstrated by its creation of the Office of After-School Programs as a part of the division of Student Support Services in 2000.

"I am honored to receive this award on behalf of Richland One After School Programs, but I am even prouder of our programs’ accomplishments," said Abel in accepting the award. "Our after-school programs provide a vital service to our community by helping working families, keeping kids safe and, best of all, expanding children’s educational opportunities after school."

The Afterschool Champion Award was presented during the Afterschool Alliance’s annual Breakfast of Champions, part of its Afterschool for All Challenge on Capitol Hill. More than 300 after-school providers and advocates participated in the Breakfast, joined by more than a dozen Members of Congress. In addition to Richland County School District One After-School Programs, the Afterschool Alliance honored: Nortel Networks; Time Warner; the 21st Century Afterschool Program at Geary County Schools in Junction City, Kansas; and the Farrell and Sharon School District 21st Century Community Learning Centers C.O.O.L. (Children’s Opportunities for Outside Learning) Program in Pennsylvania.

A new Afterschool Alliance household survey, funded by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund and released this week, found that more than 14 million K-12 youth are responsible for taking care of themselves after school, and these children spend an average of nearly seven afternoon hours per week unsupervised. After-school programs offer young people safe, enriching, fun and engaging places to go once the school day ends. Research shows that after-school programs are a good investment. Youth who participate have been shown to perform better in school and to hold greater expectations for the future, while children who are unsupervised during the afternoons are at greater risk of becoming involved with crime, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy.

The event is sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization supported by a group of public, private, and nonprofit entities working to ensure that all children and youth have access to after-school programs by 2010. Information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org