Daniel Parra
Mrs. Padgett
English IV, Period 2
7 December 2010
After School Programs The impact that after school programs have on young children affects every aspect of their lives. Although some may feel after school programs are a waste of time and money, it has been proven that they improve children’s social and academic skills. Without these special designed programs, children may not be able to develop into the kinds of adults which will benefit society in the future. It is important that society understand the importance of after school programs. To cut back on after school programs to better the economy is only taking away from the children and opening new doors to them, which can ultimately lead them to jail or possibly
The more children are involved with group activities the more comfortable and familiar they become. Sometimes a child may need to lead a group of peers to achieve a goal as well. After school programs offer children the opportunity to do just that. In real world situations there may be someone who is called upon to lead a group, and children involved in after school programs will hopefully learn the skills it takes to be a leader. These skills are important for children to learn to become successful when they get older. These situations will always come up throughout life and these future adults need to know how to handle them when they are presented (Benefits). The most important benefit an after school program could offer is helping a child improve academically. “Active participants in TASC programs made greater gains in math standardized tests than did non-participants; gains were even more than expected after two years of enrollment” (Costs). Nothing is more important than a child’s education. Education is key in a child’s life because it can open many doors for one in the future. A person’s success is often measured by how educated they are. A person may lose his money, a house and car, but he could never lose the education he received. Many after school programs are designed to enhance children’s learning capabilities as well as help them learn material they will need in the future in order to be successful.