State budget cuts threaten Vernon after-school program

NJ After 3 funding from the State for the second half of 2010 was eliminated in Gov. Christie’s budget address on Feb. 11. New Jersey After 3 is an independent nonprofit organization currently supporting an evidence-based network of after-school programs serving over 12,000 children in over 100 schools in urban, suburban and rural communities around the state. Gov. Christie announced a $5.2 million cut for the current fiscal year. Without these funds, programs will close, putting more than 11,000 students on the streets and 1,100 after-school educators out of work. Our program and its evidence-based after-school model will likely dissolve. KEEP (Kids Educational Enrichment Program) has operated a highly successful program serving 120 children in the Vernon Township school system for the past four years. As a result of the budget cuts, this program is in jeopardy. Our board and staff are exploring any and all alternatives to shutting the program down, including increasing fees to families and personnel cutbacks. This program provides a vital service to working parents, ensuring that they don’t need to make the agonizing decision between keeping their job or keeping their children safe after school. Now, more than ever, working Vernon parents need this critical support There are three critical reasons to continue public investment in New Jersey After 3’s network of programs: It’s cost-effective, cost-efficient and delivers results. To date New Jersey After 3 and its network of partners have raised over $35 million in additional funding to support its programs, a greater than 40 percent return on the state’s investment. New Jersey After 3 has leveraged over $3.5 million in outside funding for this year alone (roughly 33 percent of this year’s entire budget). An outside independent evaluation of NJ After 3 documented a variety of academic and behavioral benefits for kids including statistically significant gains in language arts, stronger study skills, improved homework completion rates, ability to solve math problems and others for students that participated two years or more. For information, contact Tricia A. Smith, KEEP’s CEO, at 973-383-2213 or Mark Valli, NJ After 3, president and CEO, at 732-246-7933. Tricia A. Smith KEEP’s CEO