MUNDELEIN — A
county-wide movement in support of after-school supervision for youth is gaining
steam.
The Lake County After School Summit met Thursday in Mundelein to highlight its mission to prevent delinquency by giving all children access to after school programs.
An estimated 66 percent or 82,395 Lake County youth live in homes where both
parents work, and 41 percent of eighth graders spend more than 10 hours per week
home alone, according to the summit, which is pushing for a more after school
efforts, through public and private partnerships.
Led by Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose and State Rep. Kathy Ryg, D-Vernon Hills,
summit members, including agency heads, elected officials, and educators,
listened to a community assessment performed by Lake County United Way that
found issues driving the after-school crisis include: lack of a county-wide
commitment to education, inadequate public transportation, a growing inability
to afford basic health care, a scarcity of living wage jobs, lack of safe,
affordable housing and language barriers and isolation as a result of growing
ethnic diversity.
The coalition is also drawing a link between stepped-up after school offerings
and crime prevention.
Juvenile crime peaks on school days between 3 and 6 p.m., hours during which
more youth are victimized, die in car crashes and abuse drugs.
One study presented by the summit showed that students whose families were on
welfare and who were denied after school programs, averaged six times more
convictions for crimes than those provided such programs.
Programs cut risk
After school programs are also credited with lowering teen pregnancy rates, and
raising graduation rates and academic achievement. Research suggests that after
school programs cut the risk of gangs and juvenile crime by as much as 75
percent and that supervision after school cuts high-risk behaviors in half.
"Policy makers are really agreed this is something we need to add on a
county-wide basis," said Ryg. "We all know money is a very, very, tight
commodity these days. But we've found that just by bringing people together, we
can use what we already have in a better way." An example of such collaboration
is a new teen center in Park City, which opened in July after Park City and
Warren Township officials worked with area businesses — and teens — on the
project. A teen center in the Round Lake area is a result of similar cooperation
between the Round Lake schools, Round Lake park district and Northern Illinois
Council Against Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
Chuck Balling, director of the Gurnee Park District, which offers after school
programs at the Warren Township Center, praised a group called Warren Assisting
Youth, or WAY, which holds teen dances at Woodland Middle School. Last week's
WAY dance drew 1,000 students, Balling said.
Spirit of cooperation
"When I think about the coalition, there are two thoughts," Balling said. "The
spirit of cooperation is alive and well in Lake County. And the most important
thing is the youth. Trying to understand what's going on with them is so
important in any youth activity."
Swapna Baumann, co-chair of Lake County Unites for VIP — Violence Intervention
and Prevention, said the summit revealed a willingness to "go more in-depth" on
the after school issue.
"We have a tendency to patch up problems without looking below the surface,"
Baumann said. "Kathy Ryg and Ray Rose are doing a wonderful thing and something
VIP is also working toward — getting people on board who will work with you in
hopes others will follow suit."
"This enables us to share best practices and raise the awareness and put people
in touch with their counterparts county-wide, which can get programs up and
going," Ryg said. "No one needs to re-invent the wheel. We see ourselves as a
clearinghouse for information and communication."
The group first met in February and held a day-long workshop for more than 200
in April.
"By working together we can move mountains," Balling said. "Being focused and
letting kids know we care about them is what it's all about."
The coalition announced its next leadership team meeting, to be held at 8:30
a.m. on Nov. 4, at the Mundelein Police Department, 221 N. Lake St.
It also introduced its new Web site at:
www.lakecountyafterschoolcoalition.org.
10/22/04