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MARCH 2005

Building Quality in
After-School Programs:
The After-School Corporation (TASC)

By Lucy A. Friedman

The After-School Corporation (TASC) began in 1998 with 25 programs in New York City and has grown to support more than 250 programs across the state serving 55,000 children. TASC programs are operated by 130 community-based organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, neighborhood settlement houses and the YMCA. Started with a challenge grant from the Open Society Institute (OSI), which pledged $125 million over seven years, TASC has leveraged more than $375 million in public and private funds to date to support after-school.

Our programs are open every day that school is in session from 3–6 p.m. and offer a mix of sports, arts, community service and academic activities. In TASC programs kids are invited to plant gardens; practice yoga; experiment with science projects; receive one-on-one tutoring; paint murals and hone their math and literacy skills. The magic of these programs is that the benefits go far beyond the after-school hours by strengthening and reinforcing regular school day learning.

Shaunetta Gibson, a sophomore at the TASC program operated by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School last year, said “the most important part of after-school is being able to have a place to go where you know there is someone who can help you with school work or just talk about life. Before I started the program, I didn’t have anything to do after school. Now I’m in poetry, book, and art clubs. The program also gives me opportunities I might not otherwise have, like my internship at the Studio Museum of Harlem where I created a photography portfolio.” Shaunetta feels that her experience in after-school is helping her think more clearly about her plans following high school and potential career choices. While stories like Shaunetta’s help us better understand the impact of quality after-school, TASC has also worked with an independent evaluator, Policy Studies Associates, Inc. (PSA) to quantify the impact. Their reports show that students enrolled in TASC programs are making significant gains in math achievement and show an increase in regular school day attendance.

PSA also found that 97 percent of principals in schools with a TASC program report a strong relationship between the regular school and after-school program. Parents also expressed satisfaction with TASC services saying they felt reassured knowing that their children were safe and cared for after school. This allowed them to miss work less often. Parents also appreciated that homework is complete before coming home and said their children enjoy program activities.

TASC thanks the countless principals, superintendents, teachers and other school staff for their ongoing support for our after-school programs and applaud the work you do each day. Our success the past seven years has been largely due to your support. We look forward to continuing our work together with the shared mission of universal after-school for all children by 2010.#

Lucy Friedman is President of TASC.More detailed information about TASC and PSA’s evaluation of TASC programs can be found on the TASC website at www.tascorp.org

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