Staff Report

MIAMI – With just a few taps, program descriptions and fee information for hundreds of after-school options for children and youth ages six to eighteen are now available for parents and caregivers. The Children’s Trust’s annual trilingual after school programs list debuted on a mobile app last week, just in time for the new school year.

A well-received and user-friendly resource launched earlier this year with summer camp listings, the digital guide also features helpful articles in English, Spanish and Creole, in addition to a comprehensive directory of after-school programs, both Trust-funded and not. Programs serving children and youth with special needs are clearly marked; all Trust-funded programs are inclusive.

More than one in four of America’s schoolchildren are on their own after the last school bell rings, and parents cite cost as the most critical barrier to enrollment in after-school programs, according to an After school Alliance national survey. The Children’s Trust 2016 After-School Programs Guide will help working parents locate the affordable programs they need to ensure their children are safe, learning and exercising when the school day ends.

The free guide is available for download at the App Store (IOS) and Google Play (Android), as well as online at www.thechildrenstrust.org. Parents already using the app can update it to access after-school program content.