|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Advocates in behalf of children, education, and |
|
community development are gathering in Austin on March 26, 2013, |
|
for Texas Partnership for Out of School Time Day at the Capitol; and |
|
WHEREAS, The Texas Partnership for Out of School Time |
|
(TXPOST) is a nonprofit statewide collaboration between public and |
|
private organizations dedicated to promoting out of school time |
|
programs for school-age children; formed in the fall of 2011 with |
|
funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, TXPOST now |
|
coordinates seven regional networks and is leading a statewide |
|
initiative to develop voluntary quality standards; and |
|
WHEREAS, Out of school time programs take place before and |
|
after school, on weekends, and during the summer; there are many |
|
benefits to engaging students during these times, including the |
|
fact that after-school programs can improve children's personal, |
|
social, and academic skills, raise their self-esteem, and reduce |
|
disciplinary issues during school; moreover, a recent study of the |
|
Texas Afterschool Centers on Education indicated that |
|
participating in such programs had a positive and significant |
|
effect on students' standardized test scores in reading and math; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, Keeping young Texans engaged during out of school |
|
times also helps keep them safer; one reason why these programs are |
|
critical is, because the hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the |
|
peak hours for juvenile crime, school-age children are seven times |
|
more likely to be the victim of a violent crime after school; while |
|
68 percent of Texas school-age children live in households in which |
|
their guardians are in the workforce, only 15 percent of children |
|
participate in after-school programs, leaving many young people |
|
with unstructured and potentially unsupervised time; and |
|
WHEREAS, By increasing the quality and availability of out of |
|
school time programs, TXPOST is investing in the future of young |
|
Texans, offering them opportunities to learn and grow in a safe |
|
environment; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
|
Legislature hereby recognize March 26, 2013, as Texas Partnership |
|
for Out of School Time Day at the Capitol and commend all those |
|
associated with TXPOST for their commitment to the students of the |
|
Lone Star State. |