Delaware Public radio is reporting that “House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst (D-Bear) is calling on the state to restore funding for public after-school programs”. This is a good start, no, a great start.
“Right now, there’s only 26,000 kids in the state of Delaware in after school programs. I think that number needs to be doubled and we need to find a way to work together to get that number up,” she said.
Longhurst notes after school activities have been shown to boost grades. They also help parents with rigid work hours.
“They don’t get off work at 2:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon when their kids get off of school. They get off at 6:00, 7:00 or they do double shifts, or they’re sleeping or what have you. This is good for working families.”
The new recommendations champion a new government group to report on the most effective ways to fund these programs.