Declaring October 11, 2001 as "Lights On Afterschool!" Day.

WHEREAS, Children are at greater risk of being involved in crime and substance abuse between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm, the hours between the end of school and the time working parents return home; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the country, as many as fifteen million children are home alone without adult supervision on any given day due in large part to the fact that families have difficulty finding after school programs; and

WHEREAS, According to the U. S. Department of Education studies show that students in after school programs have stronger academic performance, better behavior and school attendance, and greater expectations for the future; and

WHEREAS, Quality after school programs are essential to families with young children in Philadelphia because they:

- Stimulate children's imaginations and enrich student's lives;

- Provide a safe friendly learning environment for our youth that boosts their academic achievement;

- Support working families by ensuring that their children are in safe, structured, stimulating and productive programs after the regular school day ends;

- Encourage families to become more effective partners in their children's education;

- Build stronger communities by involving our students, parents, business leaders and adult volunteers in the lives of our young people; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has shown its commitment to improving after school through the Children's Investment Strategy; and

WHEREAS, Lights on Afterschool!, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance sponsored by JC Penney, is a national celebration of after school programs that on October 11, 2001, will promote the critical importance of quality after school programs in the lives of children, their families and their communities; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby declare October 11, 2001 as Lights On Afterschool! Day.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Gail Hawkins Bush, an Afterschool Ambassador of the Afterschool Alliance, as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End