Departments: Health
Keeping Kids Out of Trouble During After-School Hours

If kids are going to get in trouble, it's often between 3 and 7 p.m. Rena Large of the NEA Health Information Network looks at a possible solution: model after-school programs that include anti-drug messages and teach that substance abuse threatens the safety of the school and community.

How much trouble do kids get into after school?
Plenty. In 1999, 57 percent of serious juvenile crimes occurred from 3 to 7 p.m., reports the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Juveniles are more likely to be victims of violent crime between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m.

Children are finding trouble because more and more of them get no adult supervision after school.

"We need to recognize," says Dr. Steve Kelder, an expert on adolescents from the University of Texas, "that kids left unsupervised after school are more likely to exhibit behaviors that place them at higher risk for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, as well as sexual activity."

Are schools the answer?
Take a look at Kerr Elementary in Mesa, Arizona. Built more than seven years ago, the school figured to be the most vandalized school in the state, given local community crime statistics.

Residents of that community met early on with local law enforcement officials, in one parent's home, to discuss possible solutions. At one point in the meeting, the group stepped outside to survey the neighborhood. A group of kids took that opportunity to vandalize the home.

Undaunted, the entire community recognized the need for structured, positive alternatives. They worked closely with the Mesa Community Action Network to establish an after-school program.

The resulting Kerr KidsCan! program offers numerous "clubs" that expose students to a variety of skills and activities, from sports, crafts, and drama to tutoring and help with homework. Kerr KidsCan! now reaches more than 3,000 kids from five elementary schools.

As a direct result of this model after-school program, the Kerr community has seen a dramatic decrease in crime and vandalism. NEA members in the area credit the program for increasing the number of positive connections, both between students and staff and parents and school.

Is this another case of educators being asked to do more, more, more?
No. The Mesa Education Association has encouraged members to become part of the solution by helping to ensure that teacher facilitators are adequately compensated for their after-school work.

What else helps explain the Mesa success?
The Mesa program is funded by the United Way, with additional funding from the governor's office and other funding partners. Local law enforcement officers and the superintendent are also participating, to help ensure safe and orderly program operations and safe transportation home for participating students.

Are all after-school programs this successful?
The U.S. Department of Education says public schools are uniquely suited to meet the extended learning needs of students, in a safe and drug-free after-school environment.

Carefully planned programs can provide a number of services that enhance a student's daily learning, activities that range from tutoring in reading for younger children to the supplying of mentors who can guide children through challenging courses and provide positive support and supervision from caring adults.

Still, as of 1991, 70 percent of all public elementary and combined schools did not offer either before- or after-school programs. The numbers of after-school programs are increasing, but, in 1995, only 3.4 percent of the 23.5 million school-age children with working parents were enrolled in the 18,111 before- or after-school programs in public schools.

So what are the essential features of a successful after-school program?
After-school programs are most successful when they result from a collaborative community effort, as in Mesa. Consistent, knowledgeable staff who have a commitment to children and understand the social, cultural, and economic issues children face in their community are also essential, as is ensuring that an adequate number of staff are engaged.

After-school programs also need structure, but Marlene Wong, the director of Mental Health Service for the Los Angeles Unified School District, is quick to recommend that after-school programs should be less structured than the normal school day--to allow children to have down time, grab a snack, and do homework.

Wong also encourages using after-school time to teach social skills and nurture children's creative sides.

Resources

• Kerr KidsCan! is one of many successful programs creating safe school communities featured in NEA's Safe Schools Now network broadcast series. These programs all aim to help schools and their communities create more secure environments for children.

  The first broadcast of this series for the new school year, which airs on September 28, will focus on school programs that promote student-school connectedness and steer students away from substance abuse.

  For more information, check the Web at www.safeschoolsnow.org or call 202/822-7746.

• The National Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse, operated by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, offers information on programs and initiatives related to the reduction of juvenile crime, violence, and victimization. For more, go to www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org or call 800/638-8736.

• Bringing Education into the Afterschool Hours, a U.S. Department of Education publication, provides ideas on how schools can use after-school programs to promote student achievement and meet the needs of their students and community. Among the program ideas discussed: reading, math, the arts, safe and drug-free schools, and parent involvement. To order, go to www.ed.gov or call 877/4-ED-PUBS.

Starting Block by Block, She Now Goes the Extra Mile

"I've fought the battle of the bulge my entire life," says high school teacher Mary Heil-Allen. "Then, at 5 a.m. one rainy February morning five years ago, I started walking."

"The first weeks were painful," says Mary Heil-Allen, a Spanish teacher at Sturgeon Bay High School in Wisconsin. "All I did was count how many blocks I'd gone.

"But it got better," she notes. "I got faster and started to look forward to my mornings. I was doing three to five miles a day."

As the miles increased, so did the benefits.

"Amazingly, my migraine headaches were fewer and fewer," says Heil-Allen. "I rediscovered definition in my 47-year-old body. Then I started biking every other day. Now I lift weights. I've never felt better in my life."

It's always difficult to fit workouts into a busy educator's schedule. For Heil-Allen, the trick is to start her day at 5:00 a.m. Her pre-dawn regimen includes walking her dog or going to the local YMCA to lift weights and work out on the Nautilus machines.

"I find it energizing and calming," says Heil-Allen. "It sends me off to school with a smile on my face, ready to face the 'little dumplings.'"

"I tried the after-school routine," she adds, "but I found my energy drained. And I always had interruptions--meetings, special help sessions for kids who need it, yearbook, student council."

Heil-Allen also was racing to sporting events to watch her own 16-year-old son. And, she adds, "don't forget meals for the family!"

But these same kids--her own and her students--are part of what keeps her going now.

"Tell your kids that you're training," Heil-Allen advises. "They'll ask you, 'Did you walk this morning?'"

Though she's been working out for five years now, Heil-Allen still remembers how tough starting out can be.

"Expect to be winded at the beginning and a bit discouraged," she notes. "Remember that your body is probably suffering a bit from lack of use."

Another piece of advice: "Stretch, stretch, stretch. And don't overdo it at the beginning. Take it easy, even if it's just walking a few blocks."

Heil-Allen also suggests that fitness newbies "keep a journal."

"If not every day, record something at least once a week," she says. "Record your highs and lows, your triumphs. Read and reread them. They'll motivate you."

For Heil-Allen, leading a physically active lifestyle beats counting calories or downing diet drinks.

"I haven't dieted," she says. "I just learned that an aging body needs a jumpstart to get the metabolism running. What works for me is to keep the body conditioned, the spirit lifted, and the stress reduced."

Easy Steps: Tips from a Walker

1. Buy a good pair of walking/running shoes.

2. Find someone to walk with, your spouse or significant other, a neighbor, a Labrador retriever.

3. Start slow and easy.

4. Increase your pace and distance. Three miles a day can be completed in as little as 35 minutes.

5. Find a place to go indoors when the weather is inclement. For me, it's the local YMCA.

6. Don't give up. Listen to CDs.

   I even take along some of my son's CDs, like Queen's We Are the Champions of the World.

7. Keep walking.

8. Weigh yourself once a week. You'll be surprised after a month.

9. Reward yourself occasionally -- a new dress or pants, even a pecan roll!

-- Mary Heil-Allen

Quick Tip

By Steve Stevens, NEA Member

"When considering body-shaping goals, think in terms of months rather than weeks or days. The most common reason given for abandoning a fitness routine is that you don't see results quickly enough."

"You need patience, patience, and more patience.

"Patience is not a muscle that can be developed. It is the realization that muscle toning and development require time and consistency."

Steve Stevens is a long-time weightlifter, lifting several times a week in the school's weight room, which he developed. Many students lift after school with him and seek his advice for personal weight training. Stevens teaches American history and AP government at Latta High School in Ada, Oklahoma.

From the NEA Health Information Network

New Partnership for Women's Health
The NEA Health Information Network is partnering with Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, to distribute Healthy Women Healthy Lives. This new grassroots women's health program offers a free step-by-step Facilitator's Manual for coordinating local health education forums focusing on women's health after menopause. Local Hadassah chapters are available to provide assistance in local program development. For more information, call 800/664-JOIN or send an E-mail to womenshealth@hadassah.org.

Drug-Free Youth
Keeping Youth Drug Free: A Guide for Parents, Grandparents, Elders, Mentors, and Other Caregivers provides parents and caregivers of seven- to 13-year-olds facts and resources on alcohol and drugs. Free copies are available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information. Visit the Web at www.health.org or call 800/729-6686 (TDD 800/487-4889).

More on Drug Prevention Strategies
The most effective strategies for preventing drug use, keeping drugs out of neighborhoods and schools, and providing a secure environment for all people incorporate cooperative efforts that mobilize and involve all elements of a community. Learn more about best practices in prevention from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, on the Web at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/prevent/
prevent.html.

Free Mental Health Information
The Knowledge Exchange Network, a service of the Center for Mental Health Services, offers information about mental health through a toll-free number (800/789-2647). Its Web site, at www.mentalhealth.org, includes a state-by-state listing of mental health agencies and contacts.