Caring For Children When No One Else Can

St Simon’s After-School is a program that helps those most in need - children from poor households who have no one at home to care for them after school.

There are many negative influences that work against these children - from the detrimental effects of watching television for hours upon hours to the possibility of other children and adults preying upon them. A report entitled "Beyond ABC: Growing up in Dallas County," and published by Children’s Medical Center Dallas and The Coalition for North Texas Children provides many of the statistics we quote here. Studies have shown that youngsters who are home alone after school on a regular basis are twice as likely as are supervised children to abuse alcohol, tobacco and drugs. While there is a great need for after school care, for many families the costs are prohibitive.

St. Simon’s provides for a teacher at the student’s elementary school to care for the children, give them a nutritious snack (usually a peanut butter sandwich), and provide homework assistance. This creates a safe caring environment where academic performance is valued and supported until the parents are able to gather up their children. Individual programs serve 20-25 children. In total, our 16 programs serve approximately 400 students.

Because the programs are housed at the elementary schools, and we employ certified teachers selected by the school’s principal, the administration of the program is very efficient and transparent - no transportation costs, no capital costs, and slippage is almost non-existent.

Less than 9% of all monies are used for supplies for the children and to pay the salaries of the teachers.