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california poll finds teens need afterschool programs
Poll: After school risky time for teens
By Jill Tucker, STAFF WRITER
6/21/2006
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3962039
California's latchkey teens — by their own admission — are more likely to engage in criminal activity than their supervised peers, according to a statewide poll released today.
An estimated 1 million youths in California, from age 12 to 17, have no supervision after school three or more days each week, according to the poll results announced by state law enforcement leaders, legislators and the governor's office.
And one in five of those young people say they did something in the last year that could have got them arrested, and nearly one in four said they were a victim of a crime. By comparison, one in 14 teens supervised three or more days weekly reported illegal activity, and one in six were victims of crime.
"Many people believe kids are most likely to get in trouble at night or on the weekends, but it is really the after-school hours that law enforcement worries about," said Sacramento policeChief Albert Najera in a statement.
Adult supervision, specifically in the form of quality after-school programs, can reduce those rates, said the poll's sponsor Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, a bipartisan organization of law enforcement leaders.
The youths agreed. Nearly 90 percent of the 604 teens surveyed by telephone said they believe after-school activities can help teens stay out of trouble.
In a few weeks, the state will see an enormous infusion of cash — about $500 million — to create what those teens say they need: after-school programs at every elementary and middle school in the state.
The money comes from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Proposition 49, passed in 2002. The measure required the state to be economically in the black before it triggered — which it will for the first time this year.
Currently, about 2,000 schools serve an estimated 110,000 youths. With the new funding, state officials hope to see 5,000 schools serve 600,000 children in all grades.
Yet, given current laws restricting how the money is doled out and who gets it, legislators and after-school advocates fear the money will be sitting in a bank account when schools open again in the fall.
Poll results in hand, Fight Crime officials called on legislators to pass a bill that would make it easier to distribute and spend the Proposition 49 funds.
"With the implementation of Proposition 49 fast approaching, (Senate Bill 638) puts in place key reforms to ensure high-quality programs roll out successfully," said state Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, the bill's co-sponsor. "These reforms are necessary because serious financial and administrative barriers currently keep many kids from participating in great after-school programs."
For complete poll results, visit http://www.fightcrime.org/ca.
