On October 26, After School for All Partnership in St. Louis (ASAP) celebrated both the nation’s 18th annual Lights On Afterschool and ASAP’s 10th year anniversary!  The staying power of the after school movement is a hallmark of after school programs’ important role in the lives of children, their families, and communities.

ASAP opened its doors to youth in the 2006-07 school year as a unique collaboration of private and public funding, and currently supports 30 licensed after school program sites.  ASAP comprises the largest coordinated after school system in St. Louis, providing free, high quality programming for underserved children in grades K-5.  Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) manages ASAP, in partnership with multiple school districts, service delivery providers, and professional development experts.  

Since 2007, an impressive array of 23 public and private funders have helped ASAP build a coordinated after school system.  As well, ASAP's network of after school providers leverage other funding that helps secure additional donated goods and services to enhance programming. By supporting at least 2,000 children per year for the past 10 years, their generous financial investment means that more than a quarter of a million youth have benefitted in neighborhoods throughout the City of St. Louis (downtown, midtown, north, and south) and the Jennings and Riverview Gardens School Districts in north St. Louis County.

In 2012 as ASAP celebrated its 5th year anniversary, FOCUS St. Louis recognized ASAP with a “What’s Right With The Region!” award for its work in increasing access to quality after school programs. 

In its backbone role, ARCHS has sustained ASAP by anchoring $2.5 million in funding through Missouri Department of Social Services and St. Louis Mental Health Board, as well as the Norman J. Stupp Foundation (Commerce Bank Trustees).  In addition, ARCHS has offered technical assistance and professional development for ASAP’s youth-serving provider staff through United 4 Children and other youth development experts. ARCHS has also implemented an evaluation protocol that demonstrates how ASAP is impacting not only the youth, but also their working parents and day school/after school educators.  All this despite school closings, multiple school districts de-accreditation, the Great Recession, and other challenges.

The origins of ASAP trace back to 2006 when the Mayor of St. Louis formed a task force to examine issues related to after school with a primary focus of building a coordinated after school system. At the time, it was estimated that there was a need for 5,600 more children to be served through after school each day to meet the national average of 22% access to five day-a-week after school programs.

“ASAP currently offers 1,715 slots that serve at least 2,000 children,” says Wendell E. Kimbrough, ARCHS’ CEO. “So while the goal to serve all children in need has not been fully achieved, ARCHS has worked diligently to sustain ASAP’s current programs and build the case for expansion.”

ARCHS’ partnership with Purina® to implement Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum at After School for All Partnership (ASAP) sites is showing impact, according to a recent St. Louis-wide evaluation by Yale University School of the 21st Century.  Mutt-i-grees® is a nearly decade-long social/emotional learning program that was piloted in St. Louis in 2016-17, including at several ASAP sites and for youth mentoring. As a result of the successful St. Louis pilot, the project will be scaled up to include all 30 ASAP sites in January 2018.

More than 130 youth from three ASAP 2016 summer sites in Jennings and North City, provided by Provident, Inc. and Neighborhood Houses, were eligible for the Mutt-i-grees® pilot evaluation. Yale learned that after participating in Mutt-i-grees®, St. Louis youth said they felt:

• Needed by someone
• Confident they could care for someone else
• Empathy and compassion for others
• People and pets can help each other
• Able to make better decisions.

St. Louis educators who participated in Yale’s pilot evaluation reported benefits and important aspects of Mutt-i-grees®:

• 100% reported social emotional growth in youth during the program
• 75% reported:
  • Better relationships with other youth
  • Ability of youth to see they can make a difference
  • Opportunities for service learning
  • Youth reflect on their actions
  • Increased humane knowledge in animals and people

The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum is an innovative PreK-12 social and emotional learning curriculum that highlights the unique characteristics of shelter pets to teach essential skills for academic and life success. It is an initiative of The Pet Savers Foundation, the program development arm of North Shore Animal League America, and was developed in collaboration with Yale University School of the 21st Century.

As most have already noticed, the kids are huddled at the corner bus stops and the classroom doors have been opened up for the new school year. Once again, ARCHS has been preparing all summer to kick off a new year of after school programming. 

This school year, After School for All Partnership for St. Louis (ASAP) will be supporting 30 sites, including 2 new sites at Buder Elementary and Hickey Elementary. 

To make these after school programs work so well, ARCHS provides funding, resources and expertise. This year, ARCHS is proudly partnering with these organizations:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis
• Gene Slay's Girls & Boys Club
• Neighborhood Houses
• Northside You and Senior Services
• Provident, Inc.
• Stray Dog Theatre

Click here for more information

To learn why these programs are so beneficial, listen to Javier, from Northside Youth and Senior Service Center, Inc., speak about what makes ASAP programs so unique.

 Click here to view

During the 2016-2017 school year, an ARCHS' community partnership with Purina® has introduced Mutt-i-grees® to theAfter School for All Partnership for St. Louis (ASAP). Over the past year, the staffs of ASAP's 30 after school program sites have participated in Mutt-i-grees® trainings, with many locations implementing the curricula in fun and innovative ways.

Mutt-i-grees®seeks to build calm, confident, and caring children. Its innovative PreK-12 social/emotional learning curriculum highlights the unique characteristics of shelter pets (mutts) to teach essential skills for academic and life success.

The project is designed for use in various classroom settings, character education, after school programs, and libraries. More than 4,000 schools in over 40 states are using the curriculum, often in conjunction with bullying prevention and efforts to enhance school climate. Lesson plans align with the National Health Education Standards and Common Core State Standards.

Locally, Purina® provides professional development from North Shore Animal League of New York, grade-level lesson plans, pre-post evaluation by Yale University's School of the 21st Century, animal visits by local assistance/therapy pet organizations, and library resources. At the end of this school year, many ASAP sites were visited by dogs from CHAMP.

Photo: A CHAMP assistance dog visits the ASAP after school program at Mann Elementary School. Photo by Diane Page.