Dear Next President,

My name is Matthew and I am a high school student in Hampton, VA.  When I was in elementary school,  I used to attend Hampton Parks and Recreation programs when school let out, instead of going home to an empty house.  In my experience I have learned that from the hours of 3-6 children my age, younger and older are in the most danger of getting into trouble. Parents are working still and children have no supervision and nothing to do. After school is a way that kids have something to look forward to. After school is not  a babysitting service. They have tutoring programs where children can get help with subjects in school they don't really understand. You can do your homework and they have interactive activities that will help get you pumped up and ready!  But after school is expensive and many kids aren't able to attend because they cannot pay. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky people whose parents were able to pay and got a lot out of it.   Personally I was able to get my reading level to a college senior level (I am a high school freshman) because of the hard work and time the staff devoted towards me. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to be in an after school program. I wish that you would please take this into account.

Thank you,

Matthew