Lin Ishihara: Student Programs Available

The research is clear. Youth participation in quality out-of-school time programs contributes to positive and healthy development.

Studies conducted by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, After School Alliance, Harvard Family Research Project, and other leaders in the field confirm that after school programs increase youth engagement in learning and academic success as well as improve youths' social, emotional and physical development. These findings are significant given the scope of youth involvement in out-of-school time programming.

Nationally, more than 6.5 million kindergarten to 12th grade youth participate in after-school programs, with many youth spending up to 15 hours per week in the programs. While diverse in their offerings, high quality after-school programs share common features that are critical to promoting positive youth development.

According to the research, the core ingredients for quality include: * Supportive relationships - quality programs foster and maintain positive, caring relationships among staff, youth, parents and community partners; * Academic support - programs ensure that after-school academic components are aligned with and enrich school curriculum and standards, and that they promote communication and collaboration with school personnel; * A climate of physical and emotional safety - programs provide safe facilities with a nurturing environment and a climate for safe peer interactions; * Enrichment program options - programs that offer diverse activities and opportunities that support the social, emotional and physical development of participants; * Partnerships with families - programs look to parents as resources and maintain strong connections so families and program staff work together to support youth success; * High caliber staff - programs employ skilled, well-trained personnel who value each participant and work effectively with families and school partners.

These core ingredients are cornerstones of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center's (RDNC) trio of out-of-school-time programs. The center's first out-of-school-time program, the Multicultural Children's Art Program, partners families and artists to support youth creativity by celebrating art from a different cultural perspective on Saturday mornings.

The RDNC's elementary school after-school program, the Richmond District After School Collaborative (RDASC), serves 225 youth at five sites with a rich mix of services, including homework help and tutoring, recreation, arts experiences and access to counseling. Every RDASC site has at least one staff member who speaks Cantonese, the primary language of more than 40 percent of RDASC families.

RDNC also provides out-of-school time programming through its Richmond Village Beacon (RVB), which serves more than 900 youth at its George Washington High School site. As RDNC staff member, The Beacon Center focuses on developing a climate of safety and empowerment so all participants feel known, respected and valued as individuals who can make a positive contribution to the community. Staff are available and accessible so youth can connect with caring adults who can help them with the issues teens encounter. The center also serves 300 youth at its two middle school sites - Roosevelt and Presidio.

Youth can choose from a menu of after-school offerings that includes something for everyone: homework help - the perennial favorite - as well as recreation, hip hop, breakdance, chess, cartooning, cooking and a bike club.

It's no surprise that the after-school program has become the "in" place to be at both sites. By utilizing best practices from the field while also engaging in on-going program assessment and improvement, RDNC continues to sustain the critical nutrients for quality experiences for our youth.

Lin Ishihara is the deputy director at the RDNC.