Op-ed: Enrichment programs are out of reach for too many students

The final school bell should not be where opportunity ends for Colorado kids

By Santhosh Ramdoss and Chris Watney, Colorado Newsline

Colorado families know that what happens after the last school bell matters as much as what happens before it. The hours between 3 and 6 p.m. — and throughout the summer — are when a child finds a coach, discovers robotics, explores the arts, or comes home to an empty house and a screen. That difference has become one of Colorado’s biggest opportunity gaps, and now we have a rare chance to close it.

Like us, Colorado parents know the value of after-school and summer enrichment. These are not nice-to-haves; they’re must-haves for positive youth development. Kids who have trusted adults and supportive peers engage in less risky behavior, have stronger academic outcomes and feel more hopeful about the future.

But we’re also not naive. Simply having this information doesn’t change parents’ abilities to sign their kids up for additional tutoring, soccer or theater camp. Having access to financial resources makes all the difference.

The problem is that these opportunities remain out of reach for too many Colorado kids.