The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

1. (a) There is a critical need to increase opportunities for children to engage in positive activities during after school hours.
2. (b) There is a need for staff with the capacity to make after school programs interesting and relevant for schoolage children.
3. (c) California’s juvenile incarceration rate is twice the national average and has increased 65 percent since 1975.
4. (d) Twice as many California young people were victims of homicide in 1990 than in 1974.
5. (e) Compared to 1960, American children spend an average of 10 to 12 fewer hours per week with their parents.