Afterschool Care in Florida

Afterschool Care in Florida essay assignment

Afterschool Care in Florida essay assignment

What Do the Facts Say? – The Status of Afterschool Care in Florida Compared to Other States

Read the two summaries (below) from The Afterschool Alliance.

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3_Full_Report.pdf

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyStateFacts.cfm?state_abbr=FL

** The full report is from October, 2009, however, the results are still relevant. I have included the full report for your reference, however, it has many graphs and tables and is an easy read. You do not need to read the entire report as it is 100+ pages long. Read enough to make an informed assessment. I think once you start reviewing it you will find it very interesting and enjoy it.

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In your own words share how you believe the data about the status of afterschool care in Florida compares to other states and why.

Be clear in your sharing, explain with an appropriate amount of detail showing that you have reviewed the information thoroughly.

Draw as much from the information as you can to make an informed assessment.

Respond to at least one (1) of your classmates’ posts. (below)

Student’s post:

Florida, along with nine other states (Hawaii, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, California, and New Mexico) are classified as the Top 10 States identified to be the most progressed when it comes to after-school programs. These states have been shown to satisfy afterschool program requirements. However, some states in particular show major differences in data and growth rate of interest that have been recorded since the last five years. Six states in particular has shown interest in improving the quality and quantity of afterschool programs in their state, they have benefited from national support: Minnesota, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Ohio. Although Florida is not one of the states recorded to have made notable progress recently, they have a strong number of afterschool participation and below average self-care rates. Florida maintains an impressive number of participations within afterschool programs. These active participation numbers are unlike Virginia, this state does not have standout numbers in afterschool participation or hours met per week. Virginia has met the top ten list because of its constant strive to help those in need and their support in reducing the number of children in self-care.

Going through all of the current and active participation data of each state, Texas stands out as its rank for Self-Care participation rate at rank #12. Florida stands at #8. Self-care has contributed to the concerning number of unsupervised children who are typically taking care of themselves throughout the day. Afterschool arrangements and programs are set up in order to give children the supervision they need, however, self-care is an alternative for some children who can’t be with their mother or father after they get home from school. The reason why this is important to observe and to care about is because there are risks involved for children who are alone and lack the adult supervision that keeps them safe and fulfilled. These risks include academic and social adjustment problems, in which the student finds it difficult to feel socially acceptable by their peers or finds difficulty succeeding in school. Although some believe that self-care teaches responsibility and independence for children, it is a possibly dangerous risk to be taking during these times.

The data given to us for this lesson compares other states to Florida in terms of their ranking and commitment towards afterschool programs. Florida might be one of the top ten and show an active participation rate in afterschool programs, but we still have some improvement to work on. Just like the other states I’ve mentioned, Florida is not perfect in satisfying our goals for helping students find afterschool programs and safety. The informative charts given to us to study have informed me on data that I’ve never given time to look at before. I feel it is important and meaningful that Florida is ranked #3 overall for afterschool childcare, I hope that we, and the rest of the states, catch up and find time to prioritize our children.