Moments of Opportunity; Lifetime of Success!
"Success" Friends
Avenues for Success has four distinct groups of "friends:" (1) the students, (2) the parents and guardians of the students, (3) other Norwood citizens and (4) the Norwood business community. Here are some examples of how each of these benefit from the program:
Students
Avenue Success provides safe, structured activities that convene on a regular basis in the afterschool hours and offer students opportunities receive additional academic mentoring and guidance, participate in athletic and other physical activities, play games, perform crafts and learn new skills in technology, math, reading and art.
In general, youth involved in structured afterschool programs have fewer behavioral problems and more self-confidence, and can handle conflicts better than students who are not involved with these programs.
Citizens of the Community
Avenues for Success makes our community safer. Studies show that students who do not spend time in afterschool activities are 37% more likely than those who do not participate to engage in risky behaviors with lifelong consequences.
Afterschool programs reduce costs from crime, increase tax revenues flowing from increased educational attainment, increase tax revenues resulting from increased maternal labor supply, and reduce social costs associated with teen pregnancy. For every $1 spent on afterschool programming there is $3 in savings on reductions in child care and welfare costs.
Parents
The facts show that students who participate in afterschool programs like Avenues for Success are more likely to stay in school, get better grades, less likely to be involved in criminal activity, and are less likely to be victim of violent crime.
Studies show that parents of youth in afterschool programs spend more quality time with their students, experience lower levels of stress and feel more energetic in the evenings.
In a recent study 74% of parents agreed that afterschool programs made it easier for them to keep their job and work longer hours.
Businesses
Afterschool programs improve employee productivity, reduce absenteeism and support working parents. Parents are less worried about their child’s safety after school and their child’s participation helps them better manage their own work schedule. As a result, many are able to attend classes or job training more easily which helps them do a better job or even get a better job.
Our afterschool programming also contributes to workforce readiness helping to ensure that students have the education and opportunities they need to move toward economic self-sufficiency and be productive employees.
Because students have an added level of engagement and supervision during the afterschool hours, there is less opportunity for mischief and a greater level of respect for business and private property.
Finally, there is the cost of lost productivity from worker absenteeism… Parents who are concerned about their students’ afterschool care miss an average of eight days of work per year. Decreased worker productivity related to parental concerns about afterschool care costs businesses up to $300 billion per year.