Benefits of After-School programs

Effective after-school programs bring a wide range of benefits to youth, families and communities. After-school programs can boost academic performance, reduce risky behaviors, promote physical health, and provide a safe, structured environment for the children of working parents.

• Attending after-school programs can improve students’ academic performance. A national evaluation found that over 40 percent of students attending 21st Century Community Learning Center programs improved their reading and math grades, and that those who attended more regularly were more likely to make gains (Naftzger et. al., 2007).

• Effective after-school programs can improve classroom behavior (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2010), school attendance, academic aspirations, and can reduce the likelihood that a student will drop out (Huang, Leon, La Torre, Mostafavi, 2008).

• Participation in after-school programs has been associated with reduced drug use (Investing in Our Young People, University of Chicago, 2006) and criminal behavior (UCLA National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, 2007).

• After-school programs can play an important role in encouraging physical activity and good dietary habits. Participation in after-school programs has been associated with positive health outcomes, including reduced obesity (Mahoney, J., Lord, H., & Carryl, 2005).

• Working families and businesses also derive benefits from after-school programs that ensure that youth have a safe place to go while parents are at work. Parents concerned about their children’s after-school care miss an average of eight days of work per year, and this decreased worker productivity costs businesses up to $300 billion annually (Brandeis University, Community, Families and Work Program, 2004 and Catalyst & Brandeis University, 2006).

Article from youth.gov

Top 15 Ways Puppies Improve Your Health

A March 2011 study published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health found that dog owners are more likely to reach their fitness goals than those without canine companions. Researchers at Michigan State University found that dog owners are 34 percent more likely to fit in 150 minutes of walking per week than non-dog owners.

The same study from Michigan State found that owning a pet dog promotes health and fitness even after you take your pup for a stroll, increasing leisure-time physical activity by 69 percent.

A University of Missouri study found that walking with a puppy dog leads to a 28 percent increase in walking speed, compared to a 4 percent increase found with a human walking buddy.

People who walk with dogs are more likely to stick to their fitness plans than those who walk with humans or alone, according to researchers at the University of Missouri.

Your furry friend is there for you in good times and bad. A study from the National Institutes of Health found dog owners had a better one-year survival rate following a heart attack than non-dog owners.

Dog owners who walk their dogs regularly have one-third the risk of diabetes than those who don't own and walk a dog, according to exercise scientist Cindy Lentino.

A study from the University of Virginia found that teens from dog-owning families are more physically active than teens whose families don't own a pet dog, clocking an extra 15 minutes of exercise each week.

Dog owners require 20 percent less medical care than non-dog owners, according to a UCLA study among the elderly.

Researchers at Central Michigan University found that when a dog is present in a collaborative group setting, group members rank their teammates higher in terms of trust, team cohesion, and intimacy.

Scientist from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine found that children from families with a history of allergies are less likely to develop eczema if they grow up with a pet dog starting at birth.

Patients recovering from joint replacement therapy who use animal-assisted therapy need 50 percent less pain medication, according to Loyola University researchers.

It may seem counter intuitive, but being close with your pooch helps develop human relationships. Studies find that owning a dog, and particularly walking your dog, increases social interaction.

Sure, being more active will obviously lead to improved blood pressure, but studies have found that the mere act of petting your puppy will decrease your blood pressure

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Child psychologist Robert Bierer of Albuquerque found that children who had experience caring for a dog had higher levels of empathy and self-esteem than children without pet dogs.

Your pet pup could help your child learn to read. A study from the University of California, Davis found that kids who practise reading to a dog see a 12 percent improvement in reading skills over a 10-week period, compared to no improvement seen by kids who didn't read to a pup.




  article by: Kate Zimmerman from Shape Magazine