After school isn’t just a time when kids get to BE themselves — it’s a time when kids get to BECOME themselves through enriching experiences that develop important skills, foster positive relationships, and broaden their horizons.
Through our flagship initiatives – ASAP Chess, ASAP Debate, ASAP Drama, and ASAP Scrabble – we engage 4,000 Philadelphia children (grades K-12) each year in fun, challenging activities that help them thrive in and outside of the classroom.
As a partner, community-builder, and advocate, ASAP rallies a broad coalition of stakeholders to close the activity gap for underserved youth throughout Philadelphia.
Partner
Each year, ASAP partners with more than 200 schools, libraries, recreation centers, and community-based organizations throughout Philadelphia to provide after school and summer enrichment activities
ASAP’s programs are designed to help partner their support their students’ academic, social, and emotional development through a combination of structured programming and informal play. Simply put, it’s learning disguised as fun!
- 97% of ASAP club leaders, mostly school teachers, agree that ASAP’s programming helps their students develop habits that are important to their academic success
- 92% of principals agree ASAP helps provide their students with opportunities they could not otherwise offer
- 100% of school partner principals would refer ASAP to another school/site
Community Builder
ASAP organizes dozens of after school, weekend, and summer events each year to sharpen students’ skills and foster a sense of community among diverse groups of youth
ASAP’s events include monthly chess and debate tournaments, Scrabble events, drama performances and trips to professional productions – the majority of which are held at local cultural institutions as well as colleges and universities in the region. Offered at no cost to partner sites and families, ASAP’s events create important milestones that keep student’s pushing to be their best.
- 91% of ASAP club leaders, mostly school teachers, agree their ASAP club has given their students a sense of belonging
- 96% of ASAP Club leaders, mostly school teachers, agree ASAP helps them support a positive school culture
- Following COVID-related school closures, 97% of school partner principals agreed that extracurricular clubs will be somewhat or very important to reconnect students to their school community
Advocate
For the last two decades ASAP has been the leading voice in the Philadelphia region for the importance of after school programs
After School and Summer Program Locator: Since 2003, ASAP has been helping families and caregivers learn more about Philadelphia’s diverse out-of-school time offerings by maintaining the ASAP Directory of After School Programs. In 2019, the ASAP Directory transitioned to become the City of Philadelphia’s new After School and Summer Program Locator, a searchable database of hundreds of out-of-school time programs throughout the city. ASAP continues to support the Locator by helping organizations that do not receive funding from the City update their listings so that they can be shared widely with families.
Collective Impact: ASAP leadership and staff participate in a number of collective impact efforts dedicated
to improving outcomes for youth and families and the Philadelphia region, including:
• Greater Philadelphia Extracurricular Collaborative
• Read By 4th
• School District of Philadelphia Community Leader Advisory Group
Now, ASAP is happy to announce that it is working with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Children & Families and the Citywide Out-of-School Time Initiative to launch a new-and-improved search tool, the After School and Summer Program Locator.