After school programs are plentiful throughout Arcadia and are able to be found almost anywhere around the city. An after school program is a program that students can attend outside of traditional classes. Most of these programs are utilized for academic improvement in Arcadia. These places often offer programs for all grade levels, all subjects, tests, and more. Some are commercial while others are nonprofit organizations. But the real question is: Do these after school programs actually help students in the long run?

According to ACSD.org, Association for Christians in Student Development, after school programs do help students succeed, regardless of age. Their research shows that students enrolled in high quality after school programs improve in academics, behavior in class, and have better work habits. These after school programs allow students to acquire higher grades and feel of sense of belonging in a community. In addition, after school programs may lead to higher attendance rates to classes and lower drop out rates. Jodie Grant, the Executive Director of After-School Alliance, a nonprofit organization aimed “to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality after school programs,” states that after school programs do help students focus as well. While some after school programs offer a boot camp-like environment such as test prep, others provide learning in a stress free environment away from the pressure of testing where students can explore from curiosity rather than blindly memorizing facts. Grant states that “it’s where they are taught that sometimes failure provides the best learning opportunity of all.” Furthermore, students in after school programs are less prone to join gangs and use drugs simply because they do not have the time and have fewer opportunities to do so.

However, after school programs do not just keep kids out of trouble — they also combine education and youth. Some after school programs have classes and programs that students are interested in. Learning more about these topics may lead students to develop an interest in a certain field or major related to those topics. Students who attend these programs may also experience more hands on learning in creative ways that are interesting to them. Personalized learning may also be provided to help students discover what they want to be in the future while interacting with others in their community. After school programs can be very helpful in the long run and can help push students toward the path of success!

Graphic by JOHN CHEN