Statement from our Executive Director in Response to 21st Century Grant Funding Loss

“More than a decade of research confirms that quality afterschool programs* inspire and motivate children to learn, support children’s social and emotional growth, and help raise their academic achievement.

Afterschool programs fill an important gap for children from working families whose parents need a safe space for their children after school. The hours between 3 – 6 p.m. are the peak hours for experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex.

When we invest in afterschool programs—like ours here at Operation Shoestring, and many more across the state—then we are making a significant investment in our children’s success in school and, ultimately, in their careers, lives, and communities.

More Mississippi children than ever are participating in afterschool programs; we owe it to our families and communities not to leave these young people, with so much promise, in the lurch.”

Background: Operation Shoestring, as a nonprofit dedicated to empowering children and families in our central Jackson service community to create their own success, operates quality afterschool programming for more than 300 PK-8^th graders. This includes a 21^st Century Community Learning Centers-funded afterschool program serving 155 PK-5^th graders at Galloway Elementary School, the sustainability of which is now in question due to the current projected loss of 21^st Century funding.

External evaluations of Operation Shoestring’s programs confirm that students who regularly attend the afterschool program outperform their peers at the same schools in terms of academics, behavior and attendance. In the last academic year:

• 98% of Shoestring elementary students were promoted to the next grade level
• 93% of Shoestring 3^rd graders passed the Third Grade Reading Gate test

More information on the impact of afterschool programs can be found on the Afterschool Alliance website at www.afterschoolalliance.org. Click on the “In Your State” tab to find state-specific information on Mississippi.

*afterschool programs is used here to refer to all out-of-school-time programs including afterschool, weekend and summer programming