Building Quality in
After-School Programs:
The
After-School Corporation (TASC)
By Lucy A. Friedman
The After-School Corporation (TASC) began in 1998 with 25
programs in New York City and has grown to support more than
250 programs across the state serving 55,000 children. TASC
programs are operated by 130 community-based organizations
such as Boys and Girls Clubs, neighborhood settlement houses
and the YMCA. Started with a challenge grant from the Open
Society Institute (OSI), which pledged $125 million over seven
years, TASC has leveraged more than $375 million in public
and private funds to date to support after-school.
Our programs are open
every day that school is in session from 3–6 p.m. and
offer a mix of sports, arts, community service and academic
activities. In TASC programs kids are invited to plant gardens;
practice yoga; experiment with science projects; receive
one-on-one tutoring; paint murals and hone their math and
literacy skills. The magic of these programs is that the
benefits go far beyond the after-school hours by strengthening
and reinforcing regular school day learning.
Shaunetta Gibson, a
sophomore at the TASC program operated by the Lincoln Square
Business Improvement District at Martin Luther King, Jr.
High School last year, said “the most
important part of after-school is being able to have a place
to go where you know there is someone who can help you with
school work or just talk about life. Before I started the program,
I didn’t have anything to do after school. Now I’m
in poetry, book, and art clubs. The program also gives me opportunities
I might not otherwise have, like my internship at the Studio
Museum of Harlem where I created a photography portfolio.” Shaunetta
feels that her experience in after-school is helping her think
more clearly about her plans following high school and potential
career choices. While stories like Shaunetta’s help us
better understand the impact of quality after-school, TASC
has also worked with an independent evaluator, Policy Studies
Associates, Inc. (PSA) to quantify the impact. Their reports
show that students enrolled in TASC programs are making significant
gains in math achievement and show an increase in regular school
day attendance.
PSA also found that 97 percent of principals in schools with
a TASC program report a strong relationship between the regular
school and after-school program. Parents also expressed satisfaction
with TASC services saying they felt reassured knowing that
their children were safe and cared for after school. This allowed
them to miss work less often. Parents also appreciated that
homework is complete before coming home and said their children
enjoy program activities.
TASC thanks the countless principals, superintendents, teachers
and other school staff for their ongoing support for our after-school
programs and applaud the work you do each day. Our success
the past seven years has been largely due to your support.
We look forward to continuing our work together with the shared
mission of universal after-school for all children by 2010.#
Lucy Friedman is
President of TASC.More detailed information about TASC
and PSA’s
evaluation of TASC programs can be found on the TASC website
at www.tascorp.org
