We are fighting crime across California. For more information about our work in your state or in our national office use the drop down menu below.

AFTER-SCHOOL POLICY

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California seeks to make high-quality after-school programs widely available because it has been shown that after-school programs provide safe places and constructive alternatives for children during the critical 2 PM to 6 PM hours when violent juvenile crime peaks. Research from California and across the nation shows that after-school programs can prevent crime and truancy, cut drug and alcohol use, reduce teen pregnancy, and increase academic achievement.

In 2002, California voters enacted Proposition 49, which increased funding for the state's After School Education and Safety program for elementary and middle school students by over $400 million, to a total of $550 million. The new funding became available in 2006-2007 and provides programs for hundreds of thousands of students.

However, even with Proposition 49 in place for elementary and middle school students, hundreds of thousands of students from low-income working families are still left unserved by the major state and federal after-school and school-age child care programs. In fact, demand for Proposition 49 funding in 2006 far exceeded the supply of new funding-close to $200 million in applications had to be turned away.

Moreover, high school-age kids, who are most likely to be involved in crime, are not covered by the state-funded programs. According to a 2006 survey, nearly one million California teens are left unsupervised three or more days per week. Fortunately, utilizing federal funding, California created the nation's first state-run high school after-school program, the 21st Century High School After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) program, through legislation sponsored by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California in 2002. Over the next few years, ASSETs funding is expected to increase from its initial $2.5 million level to as much as $60 million, which would fund over 200 individual programs.

In the interest of expanding quality after-school programming, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California endorses the following:

• Promote program quality and the success of Proposition 49 by providing a cost-of-living adjustment for state grants, so that the per student daily funding level (now $7.50) does not become outdated.
• Support the continued set-aside of a minimum of 50 percent of federal 21st Century after-school funding for high school after-school programs.
• Oppose any potential cuts to the state child care system that would reduce child care assistance for school-age children.

For more information, please review our comprehensive 2007 State Legislative Agenda.