Title
Afterschool Program Participation (B)
This item provides an analysis and recommendations based on a 90 day review and analysis of the City's afterschool program since implementation of a $3 per day fee in October 2010.
Explanation
On October 4, 2010, a $3 per day fee for the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (PRCA) Department's afterschool program was instituted. This fee was adopted during the City's budget hearings in an effort to offset expenses.
Staff began tracking program attendance in October and was concerned that participation numbers were declining. After discussing the issue internally, it was determined that weekly reports would be analyzed and monitoring would continue week by week for at least another 30-day period to determine if there was any stabilization or rebounding of participation. After the fee was implemented, participation levels dropped. A slight increase was noted in November that was attributed to parents gaining temporary holiday employment. This increase was only temporary and participation levels have since continued to decrease.
On November 16, 2010, a memo was written to the Mayor regarding the decrease in attendance numbers in the City's afterschool program. At that time, it was outlined that the average attendance numbers at each center had decreased after the implementation of a $3.00 per day fee.
On December 10, 2010, the school semester ended and the afterschool program was suspended during the holidays. The annual two-week holiday camp began at two locations: Eastside and Albert Ray Massey Recreation Centers. On January 3, 2011, school resumed as did the afterschool program. Average attendance numbers for the week of January 3-7, 2011 at both Northeast and Eastside Recreation Centers decreased dramatically, as much as 79% at the Northeast Center in the Duval neighborhood. The impact of the fee is far greater than what staff expected, especially during the first week of school after the ...
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