Governor  Christie line-item vetoed support for New Jersey After 3 in the 2011-2012 school year.  This elimination of state funding to New Jersey After 3 delivers a devastating blow to 5,000 students and their families, who rely on these afterschool programs to keep kids safe, improve student achievement, and support working parents.  We need your help to convince our legislators to fight for these programs!

New Jersey After 3 is a statewide, nonprofit organization that expands learning time in public schools each day through evidence-based afterschool programs.  New Jersey After 3 is a proven strategy that improves student achievement and development. The first public/private partnership of its kind, New Jersey After 3 partners with community-based organizations (e.g., Boys & Girls Clubs, cultural centers) to serve thousands of children. Without intervention, the proposed elimination of these services will lead to serious immediate and long-term ramifications for communities across the state:

IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Without these programs, the safety and well-being of thousands of New Jersey students will be in serious jeopardy, and workforce productivity will be compromised.

-- More than 5,000 students in thirteen school districts across the State will be left unsupervised during the most dangerous time for kids, 3 pm to 6 pm, during which juvenile crime rates triple.  The effects of putting more kids on the streets at a time when urban districts are increasingly forced to cut social services and lay off public safety officers, has explosive potential to detrimentally impact community well-being.

-- Furthermore, the workforce in these communities will be hit hard, during a period of high unemployment.  More than 500 afterschool educators will lose their jobs, and thousands of working parents will no longer have affordable afterschool options for their children. 

-- In a recent independent evaluation of New Jersey After 3’s services, 9 out of 10 parents reported that these programs helped them to keep their jobs, and the majority said it helped them to work more hours and miss less work.

LONG-TERM IMPACT:  Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce, with investment in their achievement as an investment in our State’s future success. By building upon school day learning, New Jersey After 3 provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to graduate high school, succeed in the workforce, and, eventually, transform their communities.

-- As early as 6th grade, student engagement and academic performance serve as powerful indicators of whether a student will graduate high school (Balfanz & Herzog, 2005).  New Jersey After 3 expands learning time each school day for K-8 students in order to provide students with critical academic enrichment and hands-on activities that exercise creative skills, inject relevance into learning, and keep kids invested in school. 

-- Independent evaluation has demonstrated New Jersey After 3’s positive impact on student achievement and behavior, including language arts skills, study skills, and enjoyment of school (Policy Studies Associates, 2009; 2011).  With over 200 failing schools in New Jersey, New Jersey After 3 stands out as a cost-efficient and effective strategy for improving student outcomes and keeping kids engaged in school.

-- Not only do we need to get our kids to graduate – we need to ensure that they develop the complex 21st Century skills necessary for the modern workforce. Various studies show how afterschool programs help to train the future workforce and provide students with the opportunity to learn critical skills like teamwork, leadership, applied math and communication skills.

Last year, New Jersey After 3 was able to reinstate its State funding through a successful campaign, due in large part due to the voices of our parents, teachers, and thousands of New Jersey After 3 supporters.  Your participation will make a difference!

Please take a minute to sign our electronic petition and appeal to the Governor and our elected legislative leaders to fully support New Jersey After 3 in next year’s budget, and sustain future investments in this vital asset.