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92_HR0063
LRB9203979NTsb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Current studies about what happens to
3 unsupervised children indicate that when left alone, these
4 children have higher absentee rates at school, have lower
5 academic test scores, exhibit higher levels of fear, stress,
6 nightmares, loneliness, and boredom, are 1.7 times more
7 likely to use alcohol, and are 1.6 times more likely to smoke
8 cigarettes; and
9 WHEREAS, Recent data shows that in the City of Chicago
10 and other communities around this State, the violent juvenile
11 crime rate soars in the hours immediately after the school
12 bell rings and children are most likely to be victims of a
13 violent crime committed by a non-family member between 2 p.m.
14 and 6 p.m.; and
15 WHEREAS, Research indicates that children who attend high
16 quality after-school programs have better peer relations,
17 emotional adjustment, conflict resolution skills, grades, and
18 conduct in school compared to their peers who are not in
19 after-school programs; and
20 WHEREAS, Children who attend after-school programs spend
21 more time in learning opportunities, academic activities, and
22 enrichment activities and spend less time watching television
23 than their peers; and
24 WHEREAS, In one study, children who attended an
25 after-school program missed fewer days of school, had better
26 homework completion, better school behavior, and higher test
27 scores; and
28 WHEREAS, Polls show that 92% of Americans believe there
29 should be organized activities for children and teens during
-2- LRB9203979NTsb
1 after-school hours; and
2 WHEREAS, Polls show that 75% of Americans are ready to
3 either pay more taxes or to forego a tax cut to provide
4 children with good early childhood development programs and
5 quality after-school programs; and
6 WHEREAS, As working parents can attest, child care
7 concerns are not over once children are old enough to go to
8 school; a parent who is employed full time can be away from
9 home an average of 2,400 hours a year; children spend less
10 than half of that time in school; if their children
11 participate in a quality school-age care program or another
12 organized out-of-school time activity, parents can rest easy
13 because they know that their children are safe and
14 supervised; therefore be it
15 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
17 the State Board of Education and the Department of Human
18 Services are directed to convene and co-chair a task force,
19 to be known as the Illinois After-school Initiative, to
20 develop a plan to ensure quality after-school programs for
21 every school-age child in the State and that the Illinois
22 After-school Initiative shall be comprised of other related
23 State agencies and private organizations representing without
24 limititation violence prevention, parents, park districts,
25 special need populations, private foundations, civic and
26 cultural organizations, community-based youth service
27 providers, law enforcement, education, local voluntary
28 organizations, faith-based communities, health, evaluation,
29 and research institutions, child and youth advocacy, alcohol,
30 tobacco, and substance abuse prevention, and mental health;
31 and be it further
-3- LRB9203979NTsb
1 RESOLVED, That the activities of the Illinois
2 After-school Initiative shall include (i) an assessment of
3 the state of after-school services in this State, including
4 identification of the number of children and youth served
5 statewide in after-school programs, identification of the
6 number and location of children and youth who are in need of
7 after-school programs, and identification of the various
8 funding streams currently supporting after-school programs,
9 and (ii) the development of a plan for coordinating
10 after-school services and for achieving a goal of providing
11 after-school services for every school-age child in this
12 State; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the Illinois After-school Initiative plan
14 shall include strategies for this State to promote
15 best-practice models for after-school programs and to promote
16 coordination and collaboration of after-school services at
17 the local level; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the Illinois After-school Initiative shall
19 engage children and youth in development of the plan; and be
20 it further
21 RESOLVED, That the Illinois After-school Initiative shall
22 review and report to the General Assembly on model programs
23 operating in this State and other states and that the review
24 shall look at program components identified as best-practices
25 and based on proven research; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education and the
27 Department of Human Services may provide, by grant or
28 contract, support to a statewide organization for the
29 development and implementation of the Illinois After-school
30 Initiative plan and assessment, that funds for the Illinois
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1 After-school Initiative shall be sought from the federal
2 government and State human service code departments, and that
3 private sponsorship may also be sought; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education and the
5 Department of Human Services shall report to the Governor and
6 the General Assembly on the Illinois After-school Initiative
7 plan and submit recommendations by April 1, 2002; and be it
8 further
9 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution shall
10 be delivered to the State Board of Education and the
11 Department of Human Services.