Editor’s note: This commentary was submitted by the Hunger Council of Washington County. Its members are listed below.
Every day in Vermont, over 21,000 children and youth are left alone to care for themselves between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. The lack of access to high-quality afterschool and summer programs, particularly in low-income and rural areas, is a significant challenge for many working families and leaves kids vulnerable to risk and crime. For communities like Barre and Woodbury that have no afterschool program, this is a very real need and one that is concerning given the proven benefits that afterschool and summer learning programs can offer.
Afterschool and summer learning programs are places for kids to receive invaluable enrichment opportunities, learn new skills, keep active, and access a nutritious meal or snack. Participating in these programs helps close the achievement gap that so many low-income children face. While access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs won’t solve all our problems, research tells us that without adequately addressing what is happening with our children and youth outside the school day and over the summer, we won’t be able to make meaningful progress on some of our most critical issues affecting Vermont kids and families.
Afterschool and summer programs support working families. Over 79 percent of Vermont children have all available parents in the workforce. For working families there are often 15-25 hours per week when parents are working and children are out of school. This gap in care is even bigger during the summer months and school vacation weeks. Families need access to high quality programs to fill this gap. We know that the afterschool hours of 3-6 p.m. are the peak hours for children and youth to engage in risky behaviors, experiment with alcohol and drugs, and commit crimes or be victims of crime. Every dollar invested in afterschool and summer learning programs can save Vermont taxpayers $2.18 down the line.
With many schools serving lunch at or before noon, the food a child receives in an afterschool program may be her only chance to access nutritious food until the next school day.
Many afterschool and summer programs provide snacks or meals, and as members of the Hunger Council of Washington County, we know that this is vital to ensuring that all Vermont children have access to healthy food. One in five children in our state live in households that are struggling to afford enough food. With many schools serving lunch at or before noon, the food a child receives in an afterschool program may be her only chance to access nutritious food until the next school day. In summer, access to healthy snacks and meals through a summer learning program is critical for maintaining access to proper nutrition.
Access to food and enrichment activities are both integral for a student’s academic success. Vermont has a persistent achievement gap, and studies have shown that where our students fall behind is not in the classroom but outside the school day and over the summer. In fact, up to two-thirds of the academic achievement gap can be attributed to differences in summer learning opportunities. Children in food insecure homes are at a
greater risk for cognitive, physical and emotional delays, a lack of school readiness, and diminished academic achievement. By combining afterschool and summer programs with nutrition programs, we can greatly reduce the achievement gap and help all kids succeed.
Clearly, the benefits of regular participation in afterschool and summer learning programs are many. Currently 22,000 children and youth in Vermont need access to programs. One of the biggest barriers in Vermont is program cost. While Vermont ranked fourth in the nation in 2014 for afterschool programming, according to the nationwide America After 3PM report, in that same report Vermont was last for the percentage of low-income children and youth participating in these programs (14 percent in Vermont compared to 45 percent nationally).
We need to increase access in order to ensure that all kids and families of all incomes can benefit from high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs that provide quality meals and snacks. The returns — healthy kids, safer communities, better academic outcomes, and supported families — are just too important to pass up. That is why the Hunger Council of Washington County is supporting the Zap the Gap campaign to bring afterschool programs to all. We ask that legislators support dedicated state funding of $2.5 million in the Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Special Fund to ensure that all kids in Vermont have access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs and the nutritious meals and snacks they need to learn and grow.
The Hunger Council of Washington County:
AARP VT
Allan N. Macky Associates
Another Way
Barre City Elementary School
Barre Housing Authority
Barre Promise Community
Barre Supervisory Union
Capstone Community Action
Central Vermont Council on Aging
Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice
Community Connections
Community Harvest of Central Vermont
Community Kitchen Academy
Downstreet Housing & Community Development
Family Center of Washington County
First Presbyterian Church
Full Ladle Soup Kitchen
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
Granite City Co-op
Green Mountain United Way
Hedding United Methodist Church
Hunger Free Vermont
Hunger Mountain Co-op
Just Basics
Montpelier Home Delivery Program
New England Culinary Institute
NOFA-VT
Northfield Elementary School
Northfield High School
ORCA Media
Revitalizing Waterbury
Thatcher Brook Primary School
The Health Center
Twin Valley Senior Center
Vermont 2-1-1
Vermont Foodbank
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps
Washington County Head Start
Washington County Youth Service Bureau
Waterbury Farmers Market
Woodbury/Calais Food Shelf
