Nothing gives a parent a greater peace of mind than knowing that their child is safe after they have finished their school day.

Instead of leaving them to their own devices to stay out of trouble, why not consider enrolling your child in one of the Department of Youth and Sports? After School Programme (ASP)? In Government schools Island- wide since 1985, the ASPs vary from school to school, but they all have one common factor: Your children will be guaranteed to have fun!

?Since the ASPs inception, we have seen the programme grow in numbers as well as the level of quality increase,? says Youth and Sports, youth coordinator, Keith Smith. ?Currently we cater to between 650 and 700 students.?

With three new sports introduced to primary-aged children each year, the ASPs run daily during the academic year from 3.30 p.m. until 5.45 p.m.

Parents interested in enrolling children in an ASP should do so at the end of each academic year. The cost is $25 per week and vouchers can be purchased from any post office.

Mr. Smith added that three times a year, all participants of the ASP come together to display their talents and to meet other: ?We have three universal programmes.

?The Winterfest in November, an exhibition where all of the children get to show off their arts and crafts, as well as a Dance Extravaganza where they get to demonstrate their dance skills.?

Of the various activities offered by the ASP, Mr. Smith said the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute programme is one of the most popular among students.

?The spots go very quickly. It is already full and the school year hasn?t even begun,? he added.

For students aged 11 and up, two of Government?s three community centres, located in Sandys and the city of Hamilton, hold Boys and Girls Clubs Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. The third, in St. George?s, runs an independent programme.

?These programmes have been set up to gear themselves towards the middle school students and upwards because there was a gap there,? Mr. Smith told ?Understanding that the older children do not want to be in a programme with primary school children, the clubs are set up differently. In addition to offering an array of activities ranging from music classes to table tennis, we also offer homework assistance.?

Mr. Smith also explained about a counsellor-in-training programme that the clubs offers: ?We prepare the students to become camp counsellors so that by the time they are 16, they would have already had the skills and training required to be capable of being a junior counsellor in our camps.?

When asked why he felt it was important for parents to enrol their children in any type of after school activity, Mr. Smith responded: ?It is important to keep them off the streets. Our thrust is to get them into our doors without hurting parents? pockets.?