There is a genuine budget crisis in New Jersey. We need your help!

New Jersey After 3 respects the daunting task that is ahead of our elected officials as they work to find bold solutions to problems that have long-plagued the Garden State, and we believe that we can help. 

Since 2004, New Jersey After 3 has served urban, suburban and rural communities as a proven strategy that keeps children safe, improves student achievement, and supports family success.  New Jersey After 3's statewide network of programs expanded learning time by 44% each school day across 114 public schools, and served approximately 12,000 school-age children and their families in 2009-2010.  This year alone, New Jersey After 3 matched the State's investment alomst dollar-for-dollar, with $9 million dollars in outside contributions. 

The proposed elimination of State support for New Jersey After 3 will cost the State immediate investment in the short term and will lead to significantly higher costs in the long run as they relate to crime, lost earnings, and social support services.

New Jersey After 3 represents the kind of new solution that our State needs, especially during these difficult times. Its programs cost the State one-third of the national average of comparable programs, and deliver measurable academic and behavioral benefits to student participants.  New Jersey After 3 offers an innovative and cost effective structure that ensures the success of children and families while actually SAVING taxpayers money.

Consider the following statistics:

Return on Investment: Each dollar invested in an at-risk child brings a return of approximately $9 to $12, according to the Rose Institute.  Afterschool programs lead to improved school performance, increased future wages, reduced crime costs and reduced welfare costs.

Juvenile Crime:  According to The National Center for Juvenile Justice, for EACH youth steered clear of a life of drug abuse and/or crime, society saves between $1.7 million and $2.3 million.

Cost of High School Dropouts:  Drop-out prevention yields numerous benefits for society: High school drop outs are more likely to be unemployed, have lower quality of jobs, earn less, and contribute less to government revenues than high school graduates.  Each year, due to more than 20 million high school drop outs, ages 20-67, the United States loses more than $50 billion in potential state and federal income tax revenues.  National studies document that afterschool programs help improve graduation rates.

College and Workforce Readiness:  A variety of sources indicate that high school graduates are not adequately prepared for college or careers, prompting fears that next generation of workers will not be properly equipped with the skills and qualities necessary to thrive in the technology-dependent 21st Century workforce and costing colleges millions in remedial classes for incoming students.

Improving Student Achievement:  Quality afterschool programs give children the tools they need to succeed in college and the 21st century workforce. Research has demonstrated that afterschool programs, by offering a diversity of programming that allows for hands-on approaches to learning, help youth to develop important cognitive and social skills such as:  Critical thinking and problem-solving, creative thinking, effective leadership, communication and teamwork, and technological savvy.

Over the next few months, New Jersey After 3 is in a unique position to secure national private foundation investments and several emerging Federal grant opportunities embedded in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the proposed FY11 Federal Budget.  These cash resources are competitive, desperately needed by our State, and can position New Jersey After 3 as a cost-effective lever in reform strategies that expand learning time and drive student and family success, statewide.  New Jersey After 3 submitted a highly competitive $5 million application for the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation Fund on May 12th to support its long-term strategy to turnaround persistently low-performing schools across the state. This proposal is one of a handful of highly competitive programs that New Jersey After 3 is uniquely qualified to apply for and win with support from the State.

Without significant State investment in the coming year, New Jersey After 3 will not be able to bring these critical resources to our state, thousands of students will be on the streets during the most dangerous time for kids, and thousands of working families will suffer. We need your help!

Please write to our State's elected leaders urging them to restore State investment in New Jersey After 3 and to promote New Jersey After 3 as it competes for tens of millions of dollars that will benefit thousands of students and working families across the state.