Mayor Hickenlooper and Superintendent Bennet Unveil Collaborative Technology
Mayor John Hickenlooper and Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet have unveiled the Denver After-School Database (www.DenverGov.org/DenverMaps/Afterschool), an online searchable database that uses the City’s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology to access information about Denver’s after-school programs.
The result of an assessment of Denver’s after-school needs, capacity, and resources, the Denver-After School Database is a collaboration with Colorado AfterSchool Network and the Denver Quality Afterschool Connection (DQUAC) and is made possible by a City-led coalition’s participation in the National League of Cities City Leaders Engaged in Afterschool Reform (CLEAR) initiative. The database contains information on over 700 programs available for the 2007-2008 school year located in or hosted by schools, recreation centers, libraries and community-based organizations. Users can search the interactive mapping system by entering a street address or selecting a neighborhood, program, school, library or recreation center.
“It’s never too early to start planning for the next school year or for the future of Denver,” Hickenlooper said. Ensuring our kids receive the best education possible—including quality after-school and summer opportunities—is vital to the safety, economic development and quality of life of our community.” Bennet said that “Quality summer and after-school programs keep kids safe, help working families, and increase school engagement. “We get better school attendance, better test scores, and better grades from our kids.”
After-school program providers can add to or update program information in the Denver After-School Database by contacting the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children at 720-913-0905 or QuintanaM@ci.denver.co.us.
The City and County of Denver supports after-school programs through the Lights on After School Initiative—a partnership of the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children, Denver Public Schools Foundation, and Mile High United Way that provides funding to 91 DPS schools—and through programs hosted by the City’s Parks & Recreation Department.
More information about Denver’s after-school initiatives can be found online at www.denvergov.org/afterschoolinitiatives or by calling the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children at 720-913-0900.