 The North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) administers Support Our Students (SOS) funds for the implementation of after school programs designed to create supportive extra learning opportunities that have a positive impact on the lives of school-aged children. DJJDP awards SOS grants in the $60,000–$250,000 range to eligible community or neighborhood-based 501©(3) entities, community-based, public or private nonprofit tax exempt organizations; school systems, and local government agencies to administer quality after-school  programs for students during the afternoon hours when the majority of juvenile crime occurs.
Programs such as SOS are important for three primary reasons:
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Too many children have little or no adult supervision after school. |
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Unsupervised children are more likely to become involved in criminal activities and other related behaviors. |
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After-school programs have been shown to prevent many of the consequences that take place when children are left unsupervised. |
The SOS Program is governed by legislation (NCGS 143B-152) which outlines the following six (6) goals:
| 1. |
Reduce the number of students who are unsupervised after school, otherwise known as latch-key children; |
| 2. |
Improve the academic performance of students participating in the program; |
| 3. |
Meet the physical intellectual, emotional, and social needs of students participating in the program and improve their attitudes and behavior; |
| 4. |
Improve coordination of existing resources and enhance collaboration so as to provide services to school-aged children effectively and efficiently; |
| 5. |
Reduce juvenile crime in local communities served by the program; |
| 6. |
Recruit community volunteers to provide positive adult role models for school-aged children and to help supervise after-school activities. |
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