Mayor Daley Defends After School Programs
Mayor Richard Daley was celebrating—and defending—the success of Chicago's After School Matters program, run by his wife, Maggie.
WBBM Politcal Editor Craig Dellimore reports.
A report by the national After School Alliance group shows 27 percent of Chicago schoolchildren are enrolled in after school programs--well over the 15 percent national average.
But, Alliance director Jodi Grant notes 29 percent of schoolchildren are unsupervised. That is also above the national average.
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Mayor Daley got annoyed when reporters asked why that number was so high. He said this was supposed to be a "positive news story" not a negative one.
Grant says the poverty of some parents and availability of programs may be part of the problem. But, she says, Chicago is still doing very, very well, and is a model for the country.
In fact, the Alliance previously gave Maggie Daley its first national award.
