On Wednesday, February 21 during the opening remarks of the third annual ND Afterschool Summit, Kirsten celebrated the success of the North Dakota Afterschool Network. “The proof of our success is the growing demand for afterschool programs,” said Baesler. “We have survey data that shows that there are more than 20,000 children who’s parents want to enroll in these programs, but there simply aren’t enough spots!”
The ND Afterschool Network is a group of stakeholders from across the state who have organized to “create a powerful Network that engages champions across the state and fosters partnerships and policies to develop, support and sustain high-quality afterschool and expanded learning opportunities for school-aged youth.”
North Dakota has thousands of families with parents who both work full time. Afterschool programs provide opportunities for our children who would otherwise return to an empty home. Not only do these programs keep our children productive in the afterschool hours, but they are also helping to close the achievement gap between students from low-socio-economic background and their higher-income peers. “Research tells us that when our low-income students take part in afterschool programs, their scores increase and the achievement gap is lessened,” shared Kirsten. “This conference has a fantastic program! I’m certain that we will learn a lot, and gather ideas to make the work that we do even better.”
Click here to learn more about the conference, and join the conversation on Twitter using #NDAfterschool!
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