After school programs matter, says Esther Fuchs, Special Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Fuchs was the featured speaker at "Putting Children First," the summer policy fellowship program of the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College. She spoke at the final seminar of the program about the importance of using data to effect change, and how researchers can navigate situations in which data becomes politicized. Fuchs, who praised the Mayor's "Out of School Time" after-school initiative, described how the Bloomberg administration's program brought together seven different agencies and after-school care providers, many of which were previously unable to coordinate information or efforts. Data was collected and mapped by school region, enabling city officials to see where after-school resources were accumulated and where they were lacking, in order to redistribute the funds more equitably. "Children who attend after-school programs do attend school more, and do better in school," Fuchs said.

Published Tuesday, Sep. 14, 2004