Somerset Community Police Centre manager Const. Hoang
I can vividly remember being in grade four and walking home from Elgin Street Public School, past a gymnasium full of happy kids. I always wondered why I was never invited to play with this elite group.
These children were part of such an exclusive club that I never recieved an invitation, and it was always the same group that played together every day!
It wasn't until years later that I learned it was part of an after-school program. All I could think about was getting into this exclusive club. That was, until I realized that my parents would have to pay for it.
I have an incredible father, but paying for an after-school program was not going to fly with that man. "What's wrong with climbing trees?" he yelled from the living room… Enough said!
After-school programs offer children a variety of learning experiences beyond the visual surface. Upon further examination of these programs during my university days studying psychology, I learned that they play a valuable role in the development of young children.
Despite my father's belief that kids just need a tree and a grilled cheese sandwich to sprout into the pinnacle of success, I learned that proper structure and social development at an early onset can have dramatic effects later in life.
Typically, the middle childhood years (ages 6-12) receive less attention than early childhood and adolescence years (a study by Halpern, 1992). Physically, this appears to be the period during which the least amount of change occurs but it is the time when necessary cognitive and social skills are developed.
This also appears to be the most effective age group for social skills intervention, if required. I have attended far too many 9-1-1 calls trying to help teens rectify their behaviour after years of unstructured social development.
It is true that sometimes circumstance dictate outcomes… but I wouldn't be an effective police officer if I let that stop me from trying.
Researchers in a 1984 study examining after-school programs targeting low-income-youths described that, “Basic academic and social skills are acquired and consolidated; dispositions toward achievement are seen; and expectations of what they will become” start to solidify.
This is the age when a child’s understanding of how the social world works is being refined and his/her standards and expectations are being set; value systems are solidifying. Furthermore, the hours between 3 p.m to 6 p.m. are peak periods for violent juvenile crimes, fostered by the departure from school and away from supervision.
Recreational programs during these hours have been seen to decrease juvenile crime along with reducing drug and alcohol use, while increasing school marks, and ultimately reducing overall school drop-out rates.
Not all after school programs cost money, and I spent my entire post secondary years as a youth worker at the Boys & Girls Club teaching a variety of skills (including cooking class). These programs offer a safe and supervised setting while gearing towards constructive activities.
What my father and I never knew – until much later – was that I was in the best after school program of all. My small group of friends would attend each other’s homes during different nights of the week, to be supervised by rotating parents until dinner.
I had the extreme privilege of growing up as a member of multiple families, all from diverse cultures, and exposed to a true sense of community.