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Do you have kids in elementary, middle, or high school?
Do you know what they do every day after school lets out?

Are you happy about that?
If not, would a good after-school program help your kids?
The Afterschool Connections project of the Taos Community Foundation wants to ask these questions, and others, of parents across our community. We want to find out what you want, need and expect from after-school programs, and how they can best benefit your kids — and you. Expect to see representatives from our group at community events all around Taos and Taos County during December. We will hand out a short, easy-to-complete survey to parents. We will also invite interested parents to participate in a future group discussion about after-school programs.

Why are we doing this?
We want to know how after-school programs can best serve kids in our community. Afterschool Connections is a new network, sponsored by the Taos Community Foundation, working to support after-school and summer programs, parents, and students. We want to help after-school programs do their good work even better, help parents find good programs for their children, and help the schools and the community by keeping children and youth safe and engaged during the after-school hours. Our vision is that all students have access to high quality after-school and summer programs.

Why do after-school programs matter?
Children who attend a quality after-school program do better in school, get along better with others, and build the values and skills that they need to be successful in school and in life. Kids who don’t have a safe place to go after school are at risk for crime (either as a perpetrator or a victim), drug use, teenage pregnancy and gang activity. Good after-school programs transform those hours into opportunities for academic and social enrichment.

What’s next?
Expect to hear more about Afterschool Connections as time goes by. In the meantime, keep an eye out for us at events across the community. If you have school-age children, please help us by filling out our survey card and (if you are interested) participating in a group discussion with other parents about after-school programs. And if you want to know more about Afterschool Connections, please call the Taos Community Foundation at (575) 737-9300. Thank you, and happy holidays!

Laurie Mitchell Dunn serves on the Taos Community Foundation Board of Directors and chairs the steering committee for the Afterschool Connections project.

Posted Taos News: Thursday, December 8, 2011

Click here to download Parent Questionnaire in English

Haga clic aquí para descargar Cuestionario para Padres en Español