Are you ready to shine a light on the need for after-school programs? Join us as we embark on a community centric journey to empower North Texas middle school students through engaging after-school initiatives that help them succeed in school and life. "Shine a light" is our rallying cry, calling upon individuals and community partners to share in the mission as we shed light on the critical impact after-school programming has on high-needs youth.
Every child deserves accessibility to enrichment beyond the regular school hours. Our after-school programs are free and delivered directly at each school site. We operate this way to squarely address the two greatest barriers to access for youth that hail from low socioeconomic backgrounds: cost and transportation.
We step in to change this inequitable narrative for the students who need it most by providing a safe, engaging environment tailored to each school site and community at no cost to them. Further, we structure our focus areas (Academic Readiness, Career Exploration, Health and Wellness, STEM, Visual and Performing Arts, Social Emotional Learning) to be rooted in mentorship. Our impact to date illuminates the reality that our students become empowered with the tools to grow into radiant leaders and agents of positive change in their communities and beyond.
By supporting ASAS, you become part of a mission that seeks to brighten the futures of 800 high-needs North Texas youth. Together, we can bridge this opportunity gap and ensure that a zip code does not determine access to opportunities and resources for a child. Your support can manifest in many forms: a spark of curiosity in a 6th-grader’s first hands-on robotic workshop; a student beaming with excitement to see their favorite Program Leader when the bell rings; an empowered All-Star who will positively impact her community and break cycles. This is the need for after-school programming, and we need your support to reach even more children and light a path of lasting impact this North Texas Giving Day.
After-School All-Stars (ASAS) North Texas' mission is to provide comprehensive, cost-free after-school programs that keep children safe and help them succeed in school and life. Our vision for our All-Stars is to be healthy and active, to graduate high school and go on to college or trade school, to find a job that they love, and to give back to their communities.
In Dallas County alone, 100,000 children are left without the after-school enrichment their parents say they need. Further, a study by the Afterschool Alliance found that 30% of middle schoolers are unsupervised when the bell rings due to their schools’ limited resources for continual engagement and because many parents/caregivers are still working. To compare, only 4% of elementary students are unsupervised after-school. This lack of engagement and supervision is directly related to the fact that it is during the hours of 3pm to 6pm when youth violence, drug use, and other dangerous behaviors are most likely to occur.
Those hours are even more critical when we know that by age 12, a child from a poor background has spent an estimated 6,000 fewer hours learning through enrichment than a peer from an affluent household (ExpandED Schools). ASAS fills this 3-hour window by providing a safe-haven with engaging curriculum and meaningful mentorship.
Mentoring, at its core, gives young people the belief that there is someone who cares where they are, who helps them deal with challenges, and who assures them that they matter. Even though a positive connection with a youth development worker is associated with a 67% reduction in high school dropout rates (America’s Promise Alliance, 2014), one in three young people will grow up without this critical asset (National Mentoring Partnership, 2016).
We step in to change this inequitable narrative for the students who need it most by providing a safe, engaging environment tailored to each school site and community at no cost to them. Further, we structure our focus areas (Academic Readiness, Career Exploration, Health and Wellness, STEM, Visual and Performing Arts, Social Emotional Learning) to be rooted in mentorship. Our impact to date illuminates the reality that our students become empowered with the tools to grow into radiant leaders and agents of positive change in their communities and beyond.
After-School All-Stars honors and celebrates the diversity of lived experiences and identities. We acknowledge and seek to dismantle structural racism and all systemic injustices. We commit to building inclusive and intentional programs and policies in pursuit of a more equitable world.
Organization name
After-School All-Stars North Texas
other names
After- School All-Stars
Causes
Racial Equity, Youth & Children, Education - K-12
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Other
BIPOC Leadership
Board Chair
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
2902 Swiss Ave