It has been seen that children when left with a lot of time on their hands without supervision, tend to fall into bad company. This in turn leads to alcoholism and substance abuse. Additionally, involvement in after school program leads to higher self esteem, and enhancement of confidence, especially if the child develops their talents in sports, arts and music (Wagner). .
Children can benefit from the after school programs available to them. Children don't have to only attend because their parents are at work, because after-school programs can help children learn about new things they might find interesting, and provide activities that will keep them active and involved. It can even help to improve attendance at school as well as showing improvement in their grades too. Since the school day is divided between many activities, for example, learning many subjects, recess, and lunch. The allotted time may not be enough for children to fully master the concepts of each subject. Academic based programs give children the chance to practice and build on what they learn in school (Moore). Programs are often provided at school, and if they decide that they like the program then they might want to continue with it. If they decide they don't like it then they can move on to another activity or program. Every child has their own interests, so trying out different ones can help them get a better understanding about if they will enjoy it or not. .
Just 6.5 million children attend after-school programs, but the parents of another 15.3 million children say their kids would participate if a program were available. These numbers represent a huge missed opportunity. But the most striking and disturbing finding is the large number of latchkey children -- children left alone and unsupervised at the end of the regular school day: 15.1 million -- more than a quarter of America's schoolchildren and an 800,000 increase from 2004.
