The State of Afterschool in Illinois
Blog: “Afterschool Deserts” in Illinois
Afterschool programs across our nation are doing incredible work and cover a wide array of services and outcomes. Yet the diversity in programming offerings can also make it difficult for program providers to define the value of their programs. In Illinois, Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) sought to solve this problem by creating our Illinois Afterschool Map and Database. Check out this blog post authored by ACT Now’s Network Lead, Susan Stanton, to learn more about how ACT Now is using our database to identify “afterschool deserts” (i.e. areas of the state that have very few or no afterschool programs offered).
The State of Afterschool in Illinois 2018 Report
Afterschool programs across Illinois are vibrant enrichment experiences where youth learn vital social and emotional skills, receive support for school-day learning, find career aspirations, interact with positive role models, and much more. These programs vary greatly depending on how they are funded, where in the state they are located, the types of services they offer, and their setting. ACT Now launched a statewide afterschool map and database to help better quantify and demonstrate the excellent work being done by these programs statewide. The vast array of data collected within the afterschool map and database has allowed us to start to quantify the landscape of afterschool in Illinois for the first time. The data in this report will allow us to appreciate the scope of work accomplished, the excellent examples of afterschool programs, and the gaps in resources in areas of high need in Illinois.
