Strengthening Families—and Family Health—through Afterschool Programs

(From Neighborhood Leader, Fall 2007 issue)

Dear Neighbor.

I'd like you to think for a moment about the following scenario. . . .

You're a single parent of two children under the age of ten. You've just finished a full day at your job, and you're returning home to your family. It's after 5:00 p.m. on a weeknight.

You're tired, but you know that you can't rest. You have to fix dinner, help the kids with their homework, and get them ready for school tomorrow.

You're still feeling the leftover stress from the work day. You also haven't been in the best of health lately. You're gaining weight, your blood pressure is up, and your legs ache because you have a job that requires you to stand all day. You're concerned because your family has a history of diabetes and heart disease.

You know that you should exercise more—that exercise would help you release stress and lose weight. But you live in a city neighborhood without a recreation center, and you can't afford a membership to a health club.

Even if you could afford the membership, what would you do with your children while you exercised? You could ask a neighbor or family member to watch the kids, but you don't want to impose on your friends and family too often. After all, they have children of their own.

Then there's the children's homework to consider. You've heard your boss talk about the private tutors that he's hired to help his children, but that's another expense that you simply can't handle.

And, by the way, don't the kids need exercise, too? With the way things have been going in the neighborhood lately, you're hesitant to send them outside to play.

What you need is a place where you and your children can go together—a safe place not far from home, a place with affordable programs where you can exercise and where your children can play and get help with their homework.

Does that seem like too much to hope for? Not if you live in one of the neighborhoods that hosts NLI's Schools as Neighborhood Resources (SNR) program.

Our SNR program makes several Cleveland Metropolitan School District sites available to the public three nights a week for educational, recreational, and cultural activities. Participants range in age from elementary school children to senior citizens. All activities are offered free of charge.

Our SNR sites are great places for families. At Collinwood High School, you can walk the indoor track while your children learn instrumental music. At Lincoln-West High School, you can swim laps in the pool while your children play soccer in the gym. And at Sunbeam School you can line dance while your children take cheerleading or drill team lessons.

Every site also offers free tutoring. In fact, NLI is now certified by the state as a Supplemental Educational Services (SES) provider.

We can all wring our hands about the decline of the family. Or we can put programs in place to help struggling families deal with the real challenges that they face. I think SNR is a step in the right direction.

Warmest regards,

Don