Initiative seeks to expand after-school programs for school-age children

South Dakota is the only state in 2009 to receive funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation to launch the South Dakota Afterschool Partnership. The overall goal of the program is to increase the quality and availability of after-school programming statewide.

The hours after school are a critical time for school-age youth. Left on their own, children are more likely to engage in risky behavior, become victims of crime or accidents and receive poor grades. Children who are in involved in after-school programs have opportunities to learn new skills and develop their talents, along with social and leadership skills. They also do better in school.

The South Dakota Afterschool Partnership, a member of the national network of Statewide Afterschool Networks funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation, aims to create a sustainable structure of local, regional, statewide and community-school partnerships focused on supporting policy development at all levels.

While South Dakota is among the leading states in quality improvement efforts for school-age care, it is nevertheless losing ground in after-school program participation (click here for map). Thirty-seven percent (48,969) of the states' K-12 children are responsible for taking care of themselves after school, spending an average of eight hours per week unsupervised.

Thirty-two percent (36,844) of all South Dakota children not in after-school care would be likely to participate if an after-school program were available in their community. Availability and cost are barriers.

For more information about the benefits of quality after-school programs and the risks faced by children who are home alone after school, click here.