Best Practices & Results

The Georgia Afterschool Investment Council Releases Statewide Report:
The Current State of Afterschool in Georgia: Building a Strong Foundation

by Rachel Wellborn

Afterschool is a critical time in the life of Georgia's children and youth. The hours from 3 to 6 p.m., as well as summers and school vacations, are a time for enrichment, a time to foster young people's social, physical, artistic, and educational interests and talents. Unfortunately for many of Georgia's youth, it can also be a time of loneliness, boredom and danger—a time full of unsupervised hours to engage in high-risk behaviors and crime. Almost a quarter of Georgia's school-aged children are left unsupervised after school and in the summers. That is over 330,500 youth that are not involved in any additional learning or supervision outside the classroom.

This month the Georgia Afterschool Investment Council (GAIC) is releasing a statewide report, The Current State of Afterschool in Georgia: Building a Strong Foundation. This report is the first comprehensive exploration of Georgia's afterschool landscape. The authors, a task force of 40 Georgia youth development and education leaders, explain the importance of afterschool for Georgia's youth and paint a vision for what a strong afterschool collaborative could look like in Georgia. The report portrays the current reality of afterschool in Georgia, and describes the steps that need to be taken to move from "what is" to "what could be."

The Current State of Afterschool in Georgia notes that Georgia has a number of significant problems to focus on and explains the role afterschool could play in addressing these issues. Georgia has the third highest dropout rate in the county. The state ranks 44th out of 50 nationally on public school SAT scores and 48th in the nation in college enrollment rates for 18- to 24-year-olds. Georgia also ranks 41st in the nation for teen births. Furthermore, more than 70 percent of school-age children in Georgia live in families where both parents work. Afterschool is an ideal setting to address these and other pressing issues through focused, targeted programs that meet children and youths' needs in ways that work for them, their families, and their communities. Quality afterschool programs can ensure that young people build the leadership, teamwork and other abilities they will need to compete in a global economy—and become productive, contributing citizens in their communities.

The GAIC sees this first report as a jumping off point for policymakers, business leaders, educators, afterschool providers, parents, students, and concerned citizens to improve afterschool and out-of-school time throughout the state. The Current States of Afterschool in Georgia examines what communities, parents, and children need, and whether the state is meeting those needs. The report also looks carefully at how quality is defined in Georgia's afterschool programs and how programs are funded at the federal, state and local levels. Most importantly, the report concludes with an Afterschool Action Agenda that defines and explores the steps toward realizing the vision of afterschool for all Georgia's youth.

The GAIC will disseminate this report through several county/regional forums to further discuss the findings and identify ways to develop and strengthen state-county collaborations. The GAIC, in cooperation with the Family Connection Partnership, is in the process of identifying key counties or regions across the state. If your county/region is interested, please e-mail Rachel Wellborn at rwellborn@afterschoolga.org. For more information or for copies of the report, please e-mail the Georgia Afterschool Investment Council at info@afterschoolga.org or visit the Web site at www.afterschoolga.org.

GAIC is dedicated to ensuring Georgia’s children and youth have access to high-quality, affordable afterschool and summer learning opportunities.

Rachel E. Wellborn is the communications and project manager at GAIC.