Many children and teens in low-income families spend a significant amount of time home alone because of the high cost of childcare. Many single-parent households earn significantly less than two-parent homes, as a result more and more children are left home alone, free to roam the streets with their peers and other adults of bad influence. With little or no parental oversight, juveniles are vulnerable and easily gripped by gang membership and the glamorized drug lifestyle, popularized by recent pop culture. According to Aizer (2004) "Left unsupervised, school-age children may be more likely to engage in antisocial or risky, potentially dangerous behavior. Children who care for themselves after school (referred to as latchkey children) are at greater risk of truancy from school, stress, receiving poor grades, risk-taking behavior and substance abuse" (p. 1836). In contrast, children with adult supervision are less likely to skip school, behave violently, experiment with and use illicit drugs, steal, and commit other types of crimes (Aizer, 2004). Community youth centers provide a safe place for children and teens to be during non-school hours and weekends. .
The Boys and Girls Club of America is one of the many effective community programs, creating a dent in juvenile delinquency nationwide. The Wilkerson Boys and Girls Club in Odessa, Texas, serves the local community by offering its youth with after-school sports, recreational, and educational programs, in a safe environment. For decades, the Boys and Girls Club has been in the business helping children and teens acquire honest values, build self-esteem, and pursue healthy and productive futures. Youth who spend time at the Boys and Girls Club centers are kept away from the hazards, temptations, and the probability of participation in the juvenile delinquency that exist in the surrounding urban neighborhoods. Positive peer role models, friends, and influences are developed at the Boys and Girls Club centers.
