Lights shine on need for activities after school hours

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002 | 9:06 a.m.

Thousands of Clark County children spend their after-school hours with no organized activities, enrichment programs or even adult supervision, say educators, who hope to raise community awareness of the problem.

The Clark County School District will host "Lights on Afterschool" from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Martin Middle School and Sunrise Acres Elementary School in eastern Las Vegas.

Sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance, a national organization, "Lights on Afterschool" events will take place nationwide Thursday in an effort to draw attention to existing after-school activities as well as to highlight the need for additional services.

Children in Clark County are especially vulnerable because of the high number of parents who work two jobs or overnight shifts, leaving youngsters unsupervised, educators said.

Elementary students aren't the only ones at risk, they say. The majority of juvenile crimes nationwide are committed between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to law enforcement officials.

Six Clark County schools receive funds for after-school offerings through a grant from the U.S. Education Department. The campuses, designated as 21st Century Community Learning Centers, provide students with homework help, field trips, arts and crafts and science clubs, said Susan Bonar, who coordinates the federally funded programs.

At participating schools, teachers report 80 percent of the students in the after-school program show improvements in attendance, classroom performance and overall behavior, Bonar said.

While the program has been successful, Bonar said, it is frustrating to only have enough money to serve six schools.

"We're only reaching a tiny fraction of the children," Bonar said. "Hopefully, someday we'll be able to offer every kid a safe place to be after school."

When the dismissal bell rings at C.P. Squires Elementary School in North Las Vegas, many of the students go home to households without adult supervision, Principal Carol Lark said.

Lark said she is in the process of writing an application for the federal grant program. There's been a steady increase in "latch-key kids" every year, said Lark, a principal for 14 years.

Often she sees dozens of middle school students waiting outside of the school for their younger siblings, Lark said.

"I suppose it's better than the K-5 kids being home alone, but it still concerns me," Lark said. "That's why the community needs to support these families and provide safe, after-school alternatives."