Connecting Communities: Why After-School Physical Activity Programs Matter Now More Than Ever

After-school physical activity programs have long been places for youth to develop, grow, and be supported. Perhaps more importantly, especially given the COVID-19 global pandemic, after-school programs are a safe, healthy, and affordable refuge for youth to develop social capital and benefit from positive relationships with adults. We come to this Viewpoint from six years of tinkering with our after-school program REACH (Reflective Educational Approach to Character and Health). Through several years of adjustments and working with communities in New York, California, and Virginia, we have seen the power that after-school programs can have.