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Internal Evaluation For This Year:
A Stone Soup Parent Comments:
"Flexible hours - peace of mind - my child is known by name -
I'm called immediately
if she is not where she is supposed
to be - I love this program!"
After-school programs have become recognized as a vital ingredient in the lives of children and working parents. A report by the National League of Cities informs us that:
During a typical week, as many as 14 million children and youth across the United States lack adult supervision during non-school hours. According to the FBI, the lack of structured and supervised after-school programs in American communities contributes to a higher incidence of drug and alcohol use and delinquent or criminal behaviors. As important as the heightened risks are, there are significant missed opportunities involved in leaving so many children on their own for a considerable portion of the day. The after-school hours provide an ideal time to reinforce children's learning gains, provide enrichment opportunities and supplement academic curriculum offered at school. It has been well-documented that children who attend an after-school program miss fewer days of school and show better rates of homework completion and school behavior, as well as higher test scores when compared to their peers.
For over 20 years, Stone Soup has acknowledged this need and has provided care before and after-school for thousands of children, some of whom are now adults and are sending their own children to Stone Soup programs throughout California.
To conclude this report and to give a flavor of what the children and parents think, here are some responses to a yearly survey:
- 99% of parents believe the program has been beneficial to their children; are comfortable knowing that their children are in a safe place; are grateful for the homework assistance given their children; are treated respectfully; have an open door to talk with the teachers.
- They also unanimously said the atmosphere is warm and friendly and are always welcomed by staff and that the hours meet their needs.
- They agreed that the policies are clear, fair and consistently enforced.
- But most of all they tell us that their children are happy at Stone Soup.
The children's annual survey demonstrates:
- They overwhelmingly believe that they are safe, learning new things and that their teachers are fair and care about them.
- They report that they think they do better in school because they get help with their homework and finish it at Stone Soup instead of taking it home. They also believe that they like school better because of Stone Soup.
Here are some typical quotes from the annual surveys:
- A parent says: "If it wasn't for the Stone Soup Program it would be very difficult to keep custody of my daughter. We love Stone Soup."
- Another parent: "I'm low income. I can afford it!"
- 3rd grader at Voorhis School says: "I would not like anything else at Stone Soup because it's a perfect place to be."
- 4th grader at Payne School says: "The best after-school program is Stone Soup."
And finally he continues with some advice: "if we are to do homework at Stone Soup, I think we should be separate from our friends."
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