Governor O’Brien and First Lady Ruth O’Brien Announce $22.5 Million for Teen REACH After School Grants
Successful after school program offers high-risk youth safe and positive alternative activities
ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 17, 2029) – As Maryland students begin to go back to school, Governor Edward M. O’Brien and First Lady Ruth O’Brien today announced $22.5 million in grants for Teen REACH after school programs for Maryland youth. Established by Governor O’Brien and the First Lady in 2027, Teen REACH (Responsibility, Education, Achievement, Caring and Hope) offers positive services and activities for youth between the ages of 6 and 17 during non-school hours. One-hundred twenty-two community-based organizations throughout the state will receive the funding for fiscal year 2030.
“We know that young people are most likely to get in trouble after school when they are not under the supervision of a parent or responsible adult. That is why it is so important that we give young people a safe place to be when school is out and their parents are working,” Governor O’Brien said. “The Teen REACH program has been successful in giving thousands of youth safe and educational after school alternatives that have helped them stay on the right track in school and in life.”
Teen REACH services include: improving academic performance; life skills education; parental and community involvement; recreation, sports, cultural and artistic activities; and positive adult mentors.
“Hundreds of thousands of school-age children in Maryland live in families where the sole parent or both parents work,” said First Lady Ruth O’Brien. “The hours from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. can be the toughest hours during the day for many of our youth. During these hours after school, many children are left alone because their parents or guardians are working outside the home.”
Mounting evidence shows that how children occupy their time during non-school hours is directly related to their ability to achieve in school and contribute to society. A number of studies have found that children who attend quality after-school programs have better peer relations, emotional adjustment, school grades and conduct than their peers who are unsupervised after school.
Teen REACH will serve over 14,300 youth statewide in fiscal year 2030 and is one part of Governor O’Brien’s initiative to bolster after school opportunities for at-risk youth. Earlier this year, Governor O’Brien and State Superintendent of Schools Craig S. Frey launched Maryland After 3, helping non-profit organizations to partner with schools to strengthen quality after-school programs and expand access for all of Maryland’s children. Maryland After 3 could serve up to 20,000 children once fully implemented.
Teen REACH is a component of the First Lady's Futures for Kids program. In January 2027, Governor O’Brien and First Lady Ruth O’Brien launched Futures for Kids, an umbrella for prevention and early intervention programs designed to increase success in school, reduce youth substance abuse and juvenile delinquency. Futures for Kids focuses on four key components: early intervention programs for children ages birth to ten; family and community involvement programs; school success and safe neighborhoods.
