Mayor John Hickenlooper and school Superintendent Michael Bennet on Thursday unveiled an interactive online database of after-school programs for Denver Public Schools students.
The website combines information on more than 700 programs available for the 2007-08 school year and can be searched by location, name of a program or by its proximity to a specific address, school, library or recreation center.
“It connects kids to an exciting future,” Hickenlooper said.
He and other organizers said the database will not only help parents and kids find activities but also will let providers identify gaps in access to programs.
“I think that this kind of collaboration with all of the organizations that serve youth can only benefit us … and bring the great programming that we all can offer to the kids,” said Rachelle Trujillo of the Girl Scouts Mile Hi Council.
The site has been in the works since 2005, said Maxine Quintana, director of the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children.
It was created by combining population and demographic data with survey information submitted by after-school groups.
The database and growing access to after-school programs are just more steps in making Denver schools the best in the nation, Bennet said.
“What I hope I can say is, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.”‘
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or scrocker@denverpost.com.
