Kids' After-School Programs & Activities

Before- and after-school programs in St. Louis and surrounding areas give kids a safe place to stay while ensuring parents peace of mind that their kids are engaged, growing and learning. The positive effects of after-school programs can spread far beyond the family into the community. Whether you’re considering before-school programs near you or only need after-school care, understanding the benefits of these programs makes you feel more confident in your decision.

How Do After-School Programs Help Students?

When considering why after-school activities are important, the focus is often on the benefits for the kids, and for good reason. Kids should always be the focus of a quality before- and after-school program. Approximately 10.2 million children attend after-school programs to ensure they have a safe environment to bridge the gap between school and home.

Benefits for kids include:

Safe environment: Quality care programs give kids a safe place to go before and after school. They don’t have to walk home alone or spend time in an empty house while their parents finish up the workday. Kids feel more secure in these settings than being at home alone. Having supervision from responsible adults is important in keeping them safe.
Academic enrichment: Programs typically work in academic support and enrichment to extend the learning of the school day. This support can help kids improve their academic skills and achieve higher scores in school. Kids often have access to tutoring or one-on-one homework support when they need it, which can make it easier for them to understand their schoolwork.
Cultural enrichment: After-school programs aren’t all about academics. These programs have a lot more flexibility in the type of activities they include, so they’re able to plan art, drama, music and other cultural activities into the routine — experiences that are often very limited during the regular school day. Kids may discover a new talent or interest because they participate in varied activities at an after-school program.
Social skills: An after-school program offers a different environment than the normal school day. Kids have many more opportunities to interact with their peers, which helps them develop empathy, conflict-resolution skills and general social skills. They build friendships and meet kids in different classes who they might not otherwise meet at school. Those skills transfer to the regular school day and social settings, so kids are better-equipped to navigate peer relationships successfully.
Nurtured relationships: Kids interact with caring adults through these programs, which broadens their support system. They may feel more comfortable talking to the adults who care for them at the program than they do with their teachers or other adults in their lives. Participants learn how to properly interact with adults and people of different ages.
Healthy habits: After-school programs typically incorporate physical activity, games and free play that keep kids active while eliminating or limiting screen time. They also serve healthy snacks after school. This environment encourages your child to make healthier choices than they might if they spend time alone at home.
Leadership opportunities: Many programs offer kids the chance to take charge. They might have the opportunity to lead an activity or spearhead a project. The supportive, relaxed environment may also help some kids feel more confident in exploring those leadership opportunities. As they learn to speak up and take charge in the after-school program, kids can transfer those skills to other settings where they can make a difference.
Character development: A key component of most programs is character development. The program sets kids up to develop things like trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring and citizenship. Since schools also include character education, the after-school program helps reinforce those ideas to help them develop even more.
Exposure to new experiences: After-school programs introduce kids to new activities and ideas. These activities may be things your kids wouldn’t otherwise experience, or they may see something in a new light. A child who doesn’t like sports may discover she loves soccer after playing it in an after-school program. A child who doesn’t think he’s artistic may develop an ambition to paint or draw after completing an art project in the program. Even if the activities aren’t something the child pursues further, the exposure helps broaden horizons and expand connections.

Fewer risky behaviors: When kids have a safe place to go during the vulnerable after-school hours, they are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, including drugs, alcohol and tobacco use. The after-school program keeps them off the streets in those after-school hours. They develop confidence and problem-solving skills that make help them make better choices as they get older.
Sense of community: An after-school program gives kids a place where they belong. They see a different mix of kids than they normally see during the school day. Those kids share the special bond of all being in the same program. Kids also have responsibilities within the after-school program, just like a real community. All kids participate and help make the after-school program a fun place to be. They learn to support one another and cooperate to keep things running smoothly.
Improved Confidence: When students participate in a supportive, safe environment, they may feel an increase in confidence. They learn new skills and experience success outside the classroom. Instead of everything being a right or wrong answer, the activities in after-school programs are often open-ended and allow everyone to succeed.
Fun environment: Kids spend a lot of time sitting still in the classroom. Most classwork is very academic in a traditional paper-and-pencil format. After-school programs give kids a chance to unwind after the school day. The environment is more laid-back than the rest of the day. The focus is on fun. A quality after-school program gets your child excited about attending because of the fun, engaging format.

How Do After-School Programs in St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois Help Parents?

It’s not just kids that get something out of after-school programs. Parents reap many benefits of after-school programs for kids in St. Louis and surrounding areas, as well. In a survey from Afterschool Alliance, 83 percent of people with children in after-school programs said the availability of those programs helps them keep their jobs. It’s clear that these quality care programs are essential for families with working parents.

Parents enjoy the following benefits:

Peace of mind: Knowing your child is in a safe environment gives you reassurance while you’re at work. You can focus on your job while your child has a fun time playing with peers. Of parents who have kids in after-school programs, 85 percent say these programs give them peace of mind at work, knowing their kids are safe.
Improved productivity: When you know your child is in a safe environment and you have consistent, reliable care, you can focus more on your job. You also don’t have to worry about taking time off for things like early dismissals, snow days or other days when your child doesn’t have school. You can save more of your vacation time and avoid irritating your boss for missing time at work.
Academic support: Working parents may find it difficult to squeeze in homework time between dinner, showers and other nightly tasks. When your child goes to an after-school program, he can get help with his homework. Kids get to do fun, yet educational, activities that help them build new knowledge for the future.
Feedback: The people who work in an after-school care program see your kids every day, and they develop a different relationship with kids than a classroom teacher does. They often get the chance to know your kids better, so they might notice if something seems off. If you’re noticing something at home, you can also ask the staff if they’ve noticed the same things at the program.

Why Are After-School Programs Important for the Community?

After-school learning programs in the St. Louis area benefit the community, as well. Kids and families are valuable members of the community. Partnering with schools, families and quality care programs builds a strong relationship that improves success all around and gives all participants distinct benefits.

Potential effects in the community include:

Productive kids: When kids attend an after-school program, they’re in a safe, productive environment, rather than running around the neighborhood unattended. After-school hours are typically the riskiest times for kids when it comes to violence and other negative behaviors. Communities benefit from programs that help kids avoid those activities by being in a safer place with fewer problems.

Improved character: Quality programs work on building character in kids. Those goals often complement the character education provided during the school day. Kids who develop character learn to be respectful, responsible, trustworthy and caring. They learn about citizenship. Kids with character improve the overall attitude within the community.
Community projects: Some programs may include community service projects or partner with community businesses or service providers to improve the city. Not only do the kids learn a valuable lesson, but they also add value to the community with the results of their projects.
Tomorrow’s leaders: Kids who participate in after-school programs often learn leadership skills, which can help them make a positive impact in the community as they get older.

Overview of YMCA After-School Programs in St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois

When it comes to after-school education programs in St. Louis and surrounding areas in Missouri and Illinois, Gateway Region YMCA makes it easy to find a safe, quality program. The Y partners with local school districts throughout the St. Louis metro area and locations in southwestern Illinois so your kids can attend a safe, exciting program at their school.

Y Clubs let kids participate in physical, learning and imaginative activities for a well-rounded, engaging after-school experience that helps them grow. Trained YMCA staff members provide homework support. Kids engage in interactive learning models that encourage critical thinking skills to support new thinking skills and supplement the things kids learn in school. Y Club participants also get to socialize and build lasting friendships.

Y Club serves kids starting in preschool and goes through grade 6 in most locations, although the ages may vary somewhat. Kids can attend before and after school on all regular school days and on early release days. The Y also offers additional options for no-school days, snow days and winter and spring break.

Y staff members create a nurturing, safe environment where kids can develop trusting relationships with caregivers and peers. Because the clubs are held at local schools throughout the Gateway Region YMCA area, kids can jump right into the after-school learning instead of waiting for transportation to another sight. Kids are familiar with the school environment, so they feel more at ease from the beginning. Kids get a chance to explore their identities with the safety net of a protected environment and people who care about them.

On a social level, kids spend time socializing with their peers. They get a chance to reconnect with friends in other classes or grades after being apart during the school day. Since the Y Club is held at St. Louis area and Southwestern Illinois schools, the kids are familiar with their peers and get a chance to know them even better. Being a part of the Y Club community helps kids build lasting friendships that follow them throughout the years.

Academically, the program supports kids through interactive learning that’s presented in a fun way, so it doesn’t feel like more schoolwork. Those hands-on experiences help them build background knowledge and make connections with the things they learn in the classroom. The trained Y Club staff is also available to help kids with their homework. They can complete the work right after school when they’re still in school mode so they knock it out early, with time to spare for other fun activities.

No matter which St. Louis or Illinois Y Club school location your child attends, the experience supports and expands on learning that takes place during the school day

Y Club focuses on each child’s overall growth and development. Kids develop new skills, nurture relationships, learn and have fun.

Benefits of After-School Programs at the Y

Learning about the benefits of the Y Club program helps you decide if it’s the right choice for your child. All the general benefits apply, but the Y also offers additional perks that come with sending your child to the program.

Y Club offers many benefits, including:

Convenience: Participating schools host Y Club programs, so your child doesn’t have to leave. You can drop off and pick up your child at school without making multiple stops or driving across town. Your child doesn’t have to worry about getting to the appropriate bus or another mode of transportation and going to another location after school. Gateway Region YMCA offers the Y Club program at several schools in participating school districts throughout the area in both Missouri and Illinois.
Familiarity: Being at your child’s school also creates a sense of familiarity and comfort that can ease the transition into the program. Kids know where to find bathrooms and how to play on the playground. They see their friends and classmates, as well as older and younger kids they may recognize from school.
Availability: With care options even on no-school days, you can continue working your normal hours even when your kids don’t have school.
Licensing: The Y Club programs are fully licensed by the State of Missouri. That licensing requires strict standards, so you know your kids are getting the care they need in a safe environment.
Variety: Activities vary from physical to artistic to academic. Your kids enjoy a variety of fun, engaging activities after school that make the Y Club exciting and a place they want to go.
Development: The wide-ranging programs help your child develop emotionally, socially and academically. Kids learn self-reliance skills and develop character while at the program. The program complements the formal education that happens at school. Think of it as a continuation of the school day, but with a fun, engaging twist.
Support: The Y Club is your partner in your child’s education. Kids get help with homework, so you can spend more time bonding with your child rather than working through math problems or spelling practice.

Finding After-School Programs Near Me

If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I find quality before- and after-school programs near me?”, the Y makes it easy. Quality, engaging, fun programs located at schools in partnership districts keep your kids safe and happy while helping them grow as individuals. Sign up now for before- and after-school care with the Y at one of our many Missouri and Illinois school locations.