by Claire Miller
The After-School All-Stars Atlanta program, run through Georgia State University’s College of Education, will extend its services to City of Refuge, a transitional living center for previously homeless women and children.
After-School All-Stars Atlanta, which provides comprehensive after-school programs for at-risk students in the metro-Atlanta area, recently partnered with City of Refuge to offer homework assistance, tutoring and enrichment programs to children at the living center.
“These are the kids we need to serve and they weren’t being served previously,” said Walt Thompson, a Regents professor in the COE’s Department of Kinesiology and Health. “These kids, who suddenly find themselves homeless at no fault of their own, need to continue their education uninterrupted.”
The ASAS-A program recruits teachers from the Atlanta area to provide the after-school enrichment program at area schools and City of Refuge. Teachers survey the children to see what they are interested in and tailor the programs to meet those interests.
The program at City of Refuge began Aug. 30 with 45 kids attending the first day, and Thompson hopes to see all of the children regularly attend the after-school program.
“We want the kids there every day, five days a week,” Thompson said. “The highest juvenile crime rate occurs between 3 and 6 p.m., when there’s no one there to monitor and talk to them, and give them help with their homework. We want to provide a fun, stimulating environment for these kids.”
For more information about After-School All-Stars Atlanta, visit http://www.atlafterschoolallstars.org.