**created for a class project at The George Washington University and is not real**

DC Children need to be Off the Streets...and in after-school activities to help them succeed. Studies show that after-school activities help increase students grades and test scores, whether the activity is tutoring, football, band, art classes, and so much more. These programs keeps kids off the streets and out of trouble, like drugs and gang activity. DC needs these programs to help our kids.

Funding for these programs is continuously lessened, and this needs to change. Upper wards, known for having higher grades and test scores and fewer problems with students, get a much larger percentage of the after-school funding then lower wards. Lower wards need to equal funding to the upper wards in order to serve the students needs and help them succeed in all aspects of life. All wards are and should be created equally.

Every child has a gift - and we need to nurture those gifts through after-school programs.

Together, we can keep DC's kids off the streets and headed towards bright futures.

Tell Chancellor Henderson to increase DCPS after-school time programming's budget by signing this petition.