Gangs recruiting in the South Bronx, people perplexed by the meaning of the Littleton, Colo., school massacre, the mayor and schools chancellor colliding over school governance—clearly, questions about young people and how best to guide them to adulthood are Topic A here and around the nation.

Amid the turmoil, however, there is one item that almost everyone agrees will help improve children’s social and educational development: after-school programs.

Yet despite this agreement, some key New York leaders seem unwilling to budget enough money to support after-school programs, even though my organization is willing to provide major matching funds.

After-school programs are hardly a new idea. During World War II, they provided  care  for children while mothers worked to support the war effort. Today, these programs address the needs of two-income families and single parents where there’s no adult home when school lets out.

After-school programs enhance the quality of education, complementing the traditional school day and offering learning opportunities in everything from the arts to computer science.

By enlisting older students to assist senior citizens in nursing homes, clean a park or tutor elementary school children, after-school programs address community needs while providing valuable work experience.

With the advent of welfare reform, after-school programs can help single parents on public assistance make the transition to work by providing affordable child care.

By keeping children constructively engaged between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., after-school programs are among the most effective ways of preventing crime and reducing the drug problem. The FBI reports that more than half of juvenile crime occurs during the afternoon and early evening. Keeping children occupied during these hours promotes healthy socialization and prevents the formation of gangs. For New York State, which has the highest per capita rate of violent crime among 10 to 17-year-olds in the country, this is particularly important.

A significant step in the expansion of after-school programs is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which are funded by the US. Department of Education. This $200 million program—which President Clinton has proposed to expand to $600 million—serves as a model for state and local after-school efforts. Its ultimate goal is to provide $1 billion to 4,000 school- based programs over the next five years.

In New York State, I have pledged up to $25 million a year for the next five years to support after-school programs. This investment must be matched by other private and public funds on a 3-to-l basis.

Last year, New York City and Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew committed $9 million in matching funds to this effort, making after-school programs available to approximately 15,000 children and their families in 50 public schools citywide.

I am pleased that the City Council has earmarked $10 million in its 1999-2000 budget for after-school programs. This would fund an expansion in the next academic year to 100 sites, serving 30,000 children

At the state level, Gov. Pataki has proposed $10 million for the Advantage School Program, an after-school initiative that would reach an additional 13,000 school children. But the state Senate, in its budget resolution, reduced this to only $1.5 million—and the Assembly eliminated it.

After-school programs are an investment worth making. I’m ready.