Press Release | City of San Diego

San Diego’s “6 to 6” Program Manager Named National Afterschool Ambassador
San Diego Program to Receive $5,000 from JC Penney

SAN DIEGO, CA – The City of San Diego’s “6 to 6” Extended School Day Program is receiving nationwide attention after its program manager was named a national Afterschool Ambassador.

Deb Ferrin, the City of San Diego’s child care coordinator and manager of the “6 to 6” Program, is one of 22 Afterschool Ambassadors selected from across the nation, and just one of six chosen to serve a second term for the 2002-2003 school year. Ferrin’s focus as an Ambassador will be to build grassroots support for afterschool programs. The ambassadorship is sponsored in part by JCPenney Afterschool.

“We are so proud to have Deb Ferrin on our team,” Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Judy Y. Samelson said. “She has an impressive record at San Diego’s “6 to 6” Extended School Day Program and in the community, and distinguished herself last year as an Afterschool Ambassador.

San Diego’s successful “6 to 6” Program, created by a partnership of the City of San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District, opens community schools before and after normal school hours to provide a safe place for elementary and middle school-aged children and youth. The program serves 202 schools in all nine local school districts and is operated with $21.5 million in federal, state and local funds.

“I’m delighted to continue as an Ambassador because it’s a great opportunity to showcase the achievements and promise of afterschool programs,” Ferrin said. “The City of San Diego is the first city in the nation to open every elementary and middle school before and after school, and it’s great to be a part of it.”

JCPenney Afterschool has donated $5,000 to San Diego’s “6 to 6” program and has contributed $30 million nationally, furthering its ongoing commitment to afterschool safety.

“Afterschool programs help children flourish while keeping them safe after the school day ends,” said Ed Solczak, Director of JCPenney Afterschool. “JCPenney is deeply committed to afterschool programs. They make sense for our children, their parents and their communities.”

Research shows as many as 15 million children across the nation have no adult supervision during non-school hours. Afterschool programs are a good investment by improving academic achievement, keeping kids safe, helping working families, and teaching children social skills and conflict resolution.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization. Supported by a group of public, private, and nonprofit entities, the alliance is dedicated to providing all children and youth access to afterschool programs by 2010.

With an emphasis on the City’s urban core neighborhoods and low and moderate income residents, the City of San Diego’s Community and Economic Development Department strives to improve the quality of life and ensure a healthy economy in San Diego through job development, business development, neighborhood revitalization, public improvements, redevelopment, social services, and revenue enhancement.

Community & Economic Development