Effective out-of-school programs change lives.

We believe that through raising awareness, advocating for quality, partnering with communities and enhancing training, out-of-school programs provide more meaningful experiences for children and youth
of all ages.

Increasing Academic Achievement

• Children and youth who regularly attend quality afterschool programs have better grades and conduct in school, more academic and enrichment opportunities, better peer relations and emotional adjustment.
• Students who participate in extra-curricular activities have better grades, feel greater attachment to school, have lower truancy rates and reach higher levels of achievement in college as documented by a 17-year study that followed 1,800 sixth-graders in 10 schools through high school and college.
• Students who were randomly selected to participate in the Quantum Opportunities Afterschool Program were half as likely to drop out of high school and two and a half times more likely to go on to further education after high school than students who were not chosen to participate

Promoting Safety and Health

• Research by the U.S. Department of Education has shown that youth who regularly participate in a quality afterschool program are 49% less likely to experiment with drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents.
• 85% of chiefs of police, sheriffs and prosecutors in the U.S. said that providing quality afterschool programs will significantly reduce youth crime and violence. 71% favor afterschool programs for reducing youth crime and violence over hiring more officers (15%), prosecuting more juveniles as adults (12%) and installing more metal detectors at schools (2%). 

Supporting Families and Business

• One study showed that afterschool programs helped parents balance work and family life; 60% of parents said they missed less work and 59% said afterschool programs helped them keep their jobs.