Many children came together Thursday, Oct. 22 at a Lights On Afterschool event at Lake Hills Elementary School to draw attention to the need for afterschool programs to serve the millions of children who are unsupervised and at risk each weekday afternoon in the United States. 

The gathering was one of 7,500 such events across the nation emphasizing the importance of keeping the lights on and the doors open for afterschool programs. Organizers say tight budgets are endangering afterschool programs in Bellevue and around the country, forcing many to cut back or even close their doors. 

This year marks the 10th annual Lights On Afterschool, sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance.  More than 1 million Americans took part in the nationwide event to show support for the afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families.

“Lights On Afterschool celebrates the remarkable work being done by students who attend our afterschool programs,” says Ryan Scott, Vice President of Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue. “It is a powerful reminder that afterschool programs keep children safe, inspire them to learn, and relieve working parents of worries about how their children spend their afternoons.

Unfortunately, Scott added, the club doesn’t have enough afterschool programs, and too many kids are home alone in the afternoons or out on the streets where they can be exposed to crime or engage in dangerous behaviors.

“We must open more programs and refuse to let tight budgets endanger the programs we have by forcing them to cut back on hours or services, or close their doors,” Scott said. “I am personally committed to doing all I can to ensure that, in the very near future, every Bellevue child who needs an afterschool program has one. Afterschool is key to children’s success.”

This year’s event comes just days after the release of new data demonstrating the unmet demand for afterschool programs.  According to the America After 3PM report, released by the Afterschool Alliance and sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund, 8.4 million children across the nation (15 percent of all school-age children) are in afterschool programs.  But 15.1 million children (26 percent) are alone and unsupervised after the school day ends, including 3.7 million middle schoolers and 1.1 million elementary school children. 

Also, 18.5 million children would be in an afterschool program, if one were available to them, according to their parents.  In compiling America After 3PM, researchers surveyed nearly 30,000 households across the United States.  The research was conducted for the Afterschool Alliance by RTi, a market research firm.

In Washington state, according to America After 3PM data, 12 percent of school-age children are in afterschool programs, while 31 percent are unsupervised in the afternoons and another 15 percent are in the care of brothers and sisters.  According to survey, the parents of 27 percent of children in the state who are not already in an afterschool program would enroll their children in one, if a program were available to them – an indication of the unmet demand for afterschool programs in the state. 

For more survey results, visit www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM.cfm.

“We are all very proud of our afterschool students,” said program director, Nicole Jackson. “There’s no reason that learning should stop at 3 p.m., particularly if the alternative is unsupervised time in front of a television set, or any of the dangerous or unhealthy behaviors that can ensnare children in the afternoons..”

In conjunction with Lights On Afterschool events across the nation, the JCPenney Afterschool Round-Up program will continue through Oct. 25 where customers have the opportunity to “round-up” their JCPenney purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to afterschool programs in their local communities that provide programs for children in need.  Last year, through “Round Up” and other initiatives, JCPenney contributed approximately $13 million to support afterschool initiatives across the country.

For more information about the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue and how to enroll a child in an afterschool program, visit www.bgcbellevue.org or call 425-454-6162.