AfterSchool HQ, an Indianapolis-based education company, today announced its partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) to increase after-school and extracurricular activities, and access to program options across the city for IPS students and families.
IPS will implement AfterSchool HQ’s online platform in schools throughout the district, giving parents direct access to more extracurricular options and a centralized location for community organizations to promote their programs.
“We are proud to partner with AfterSchool HQ to open access to after-school and extracurricular programming — from the arts to athletics — to IPS families and students,” said Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson. “Parents will now be able to view, choose and sign up for these programs on one platform. We’re hoping that by making these options easily accessible to families, we will be able to increase not only the number of school- and community-based activities offered but also improve student participation. This is another way IPS is working to improve the lives our students and their families. We know that increased access to these programs provides additional supervision for students after school, keeping them safe, and also leads to improved social and emotional skills and better grades.”
By using AfterSchool HQ, IPS is seeking to reach 40 percent participation in after-school programs in schools using the online platform, said Darye Henry, co-founder and chief executive officer at AfterSchool HQ.
Indiana is the fourth lowest state in the nation for after-school participation, noted Henry, who pointed to a recent report by AfterSchool Alliance indicating that for every one child in an after-school program, three are waiting to get in — leaving more than 161,000 children alone and unsupervised after school.
The report’s research also found that Indiana children who are fortunate enough to take part in after-school programs are receiving critical support, and 97% of Indiana parents who have children in after-school programs are satisfied with those programs.
“We believe that by giving IPS parents full visibility to after-school programming, we will increase enrollment,” Henry said. “Two of the biggest barriers to after-school success are access to program options and registration accessibility. Our platform will make it easier for parents to find and register their student(s) for programs across Indianapolis.”
With the mission of engaging students in activities that ignite their passions, AfterSchool HQ will provide a web-based platform to IPS families to connect parents and students with programs in their schools and in the community that offer both in-person and virtual activities throughout Indianapolis.
For parents, the database of programs provides a central location to discover and register. AfterSchool HQ will assist with recruiting and vetting all after-school program providers for families.
For more information on the project, click HERE.