After School Assistance Program

The After School Assistance Program (ASAP) offers learning opportunities to very low- to low-income youths and their families who are at-risk of educational failure and who have a need for a safe haven after school program. ASAP provides a full service, after school and summer, year-round program that operates M-F from 2:00pm. to 6:00pm, and 8:00am to 5:00pm during summer months. The program responds to the needs of the Panama City community, most specifically, the high rates of poverty, inability of working families to provide safe, quality-supervised and constructive activities for school-aged youths, single-parent households, youths placed with extended families due to the incarceration of one or both parents, behavioral concerns, minority isolation, health concerning obesity, drug abuse and violence, poor school attendance and academic under-achievement (greater than one year behind grade level).

The program provides safe, secure, supervised and cost-effective after school and summer care that advances the academic and educational skills of all participants and their families. Activities of the after school program include tutoring of basic life skills to help students achieve mastery of Sunshine State Standards at the benchmark level, homework assistance, academic enrichment and prescriptive activities based on individual needs, readiness and language skills for early childhood students; age appropriate enrichment activities, such as art, music, nutrition, recreation, sports, technology and community experiences which are linked back to the youth’s curriculum at school. Parents and family members also benefit from opportunities to attend seminars addressing parenting skills, support groups, GED classes, career awareness and counseling on employment skills and life-skills training. Speakers and materials are provided to teach proper nutrition, drug abuse resistance and violence prevention. Additionally, families have the opportunity to gain knowledge of technology and distance learning through the use of the facilities’ computer center.