Effect of `No Child Left Behind` on After-School Programs

Today 's world is a very different environment for children than even a time as recent as 20 years ago . Today , nearly 80 of school-age children have mothers who work jobs rather than staying home full time . This is due largely to the fact that most families are finding it harder and harder to survive on a single income , forcing both parents to work in to support their children . One effect of this change is the amount of time children spend before and after school without parental supervision (20 to 25 hours per

week in many cases , often hanging out during the hours between school`s end and their parents` return home from work . More often than not , this valuable time is wasted parked in front of the television , playing video games , or worse yet- out in the community causing trouble . In an effort to curb after school delinquency and rising rates of juvenile crime , as well as bolster slipping academic scores , many community leaders and educators have chosen to promote organized after-school programs . Such programs can offer a variety of subjects and activities including art , music , theater and sports . As many of these subjects have been undercut and , in some cases , removed completely from regular public school curriculums , after school programs are frequently the only exposure a child has to organized creative and physical expression . Students taking part in such programs experience greater creativity and intellectual stimulation social development and stay out of trouble during the after school hours

In an age where creativity is a key factor in every professional field a knowledge and understanding of music and the arts is more important than ever . After school programs focusing on these subjects can strengthen creative impulses while also helping children focus on other basic yet highly necessary life skills such as teamwork , persistence discipline and responsibility . It has also been proven that learning the core concepts of art and music can enhance traditional subjects such as mathematics and reading . By coming to an understanding of the nature of notes and meter , for example , a child is also being exposed to fractions in a fun and stimulating manner that may be missing from the traditional classroom . Since after school programs provide the potential for learning in a pressure-free , exciting , fun environment , students are much more open to the learning process and become more involved in the concepts they are exposed to . The children are kept engaged by a variety of projects and stimulated by the potential for expressing themselves which builds devotion to the program and in turn to studies in general The creativity gained from taking part in after school programs has the potential to effect a child for the rest of his life . By learning to express themselves through art and music , children are exposed to new and innovative ways of interpreting concepts , thoughts and feelings

One of the most valuable contributions of after school programs to a child 's development is that they come to see...