NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Investing in area youth is an important goal for Mayor John Cooper, and now an online tool from the city is helping families navigate through after-school programs.
With some simple clicks and a couple of searches, the new Out-of-School Time Program Locator is designed to help parents find after-school programs for their kids.
The tool is a collaboration with the Mayor's Office, the Nashville After Zone Alliance, Metro Schools, and United Way of Greater Nashville.
Anna Harutyunyan with NAZA said investing in afterschool programs pays off in the future.
"They help youth build skills for lifelong success, build relationships, and stay away from unwanted and risky behaviors," she said.
Once at the site, families are able to see dozens of after-school programs offered throughout Davidson County. It puts everything available in one location on an interactive map and explains what each program offers. Parents can filter searches by program focus and dates offered.
"Under the map, there is a little window that you can either type up your zip code — if you're looking for programs around the zip code where you live — or, if you're looking for a certain type of activity — for example, an arts program — you can type 'art' and it will pull arts programs," Harutyunyan said.
In total, there are almost 60 locations part of the database, which will serve up to 74,000 students each year.
Cooper said research shows that access to after-school programs improves things like attendance, lowers dropout rates, and closes the performance gap in underserved communities.
Today, I launched Nashville’s Out-of-School Time Program Locator – a new online resource for families looking to find programming for Nashville students! I’m excited to visit students and educators this afternoon @InglewoodES.
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) October 26, 2022
Locator now available here: https://t.co/ds4rT0Nu1w pic.twitter.com/5GjmLnx0bd
He said a lot of families are unaware of all the programs offered in their area and hopes this new tool will help them find the right program to boost their child's success.
To celebrate the launch, Cooper visited Inglewood Elementary, which is one of the few schools in the district that utilizes a unique funding formula for strong after-school programming.
The Out-Of-School Program Locator can be found here.
