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A Community Vision for Boston’s Students and FamiliesChapter 7: Expanded Enrichment Activities

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Chapter Summary

Universal access to robust arts education, athletic programming, and other enrichment opportunities is a critical component of a holistic approach to child development. Research confirms the cognitive development benefits of studying dance, music, theater, and visual arts, from stronger reading skills to higher math proficiency and test scores. And sports bring immense value to our young people, who learn how to develop a strong work ethic, cultivate enduring healthy habits, and become leaders, communicators, and teammates—roles that will serve them for their entire lives.

But when school budgets are overly reliant on enrollment, school leaders are forced to make difficult decisions to cut extracurricular activities in order to maintain foundational academic programming. As students return to in-person learning over the next year, extracurriculars will be more essential than ever to support schools in becoming the nurturing, community-centered hubs we know they can be.

  • More resources for extracurricular programs, with foundational arts funding for programming through graduation and an increased BPS athletics budget to expand the number of sports offered.

  • Stronger infrastructure for partnerships, with clear pathways to form new clubs, teams and partnerships; deeper engagement with Boston’s artist community; and partnerships with community centers.

  • Affirming youth identity by validating student identities in BPS athletics and continuing to emphasize social emotional learning.