She had already eaten dinner and the sun was beginning to set, but 8-year-old Cece Gonzalez hadn't yet left school on a recent Thursday.

Not that she — or many of the other students enrolled in Woodrow Wilson Elementary's afterschool program — minded.

"It's fun," said the third-grader, looking up from her book about life in the oceans, "and I think it helps us read and do our homework."

Gonzalez is one of a growing number of students enrolled in afterschool programs across the state. In 2008, the Utah Afterschool Network set a goal of doubling enrollment in afterschool programs by 2012. Now, with the new year fast approaching, it looks as though the group may have met its goal, working with more than 200 programs across the state, compared with fewer than 100 several years ago.

According to the Afterschool Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based group, enrollment in afterschool programs swelled to about 9 percent of all Utah students in 2009, up from 5 percent in 2004.

"We've really grown," said Anneli Segura, executive director of the Utah Afterschool Network. "The need is definitely there."

But Segura and other afterschool advocates say there is still much work to do. Many afterschool programs are seeing increasing demand with limited resources, leading to waiting lists in some cases.

In 2009, 28 percent of Utah kids in kindergarten through 12th grade were responsible for taking care of themselves after school, and more than one-third of students not enrolled in afterschool programs would have been likely to enroll if more were available, according to the Afterschool Alliance.

"With the economy and times the way they are, we're seeing more and more families that need a place for their children to go after school and do something positive," said Billy Swartzfager, director of operations for The Boys and Girls Clubs of South Valley.

Swartzfager said his organization's seven programs have had waiting lists a number of times over the past few years.

The program at Woodrow Wilson Elementary has had a similar experience.

About two dozen kids are now on a waiting list to attend that program, which is held at the school but the result of a partnership between a number of groups including the City of South Salt Lake and Learning for Life, among others, said Kate Rubalcava, community learning center coordinator for South Salt Lake.

Each day, many of the Woodrow Wilson program's 120 kids start their late afternoons with dinner from the Utah Food Bank. Then they get the wiggles out, playing outside for a few minutes, before starting academic activities.

On a recent afternoon, students huddled around small, circular tables, taking turns reading from a play about kids who are tricked by a cold bug into thinking they can give their colds away by coughing and sneezing on others.

"Sneeze and cough, blow your snot," the students recited in a chorus every couple minutes, following the play, "Don't just say it. Go and spray it!"

Each student held a book of the play, with individual parts highlighted in different colors to help them identify their turns. Each part was written with an eye toward helping students at various levels practice and improve their reading skills.

"I love to read, and it's really good to learn," said Angelica Barrerala, 8, as she finished up with her group.

Luis Arellano, site supervisor at the program, said the reading help is invaluable to many students, who otherwise might not be doing much after school.

"A lot of the parents are working," Arellano said. "They don't have anywhere to go after school."

In 2008, about 52 percent of Utah children had parents who both worked outside the home, according to a Department of Workforce Services report based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

It's something many schools, communities and organizations have noticed as they work to strengthen their offerings.

For example, the Granite District has increased the number of its extended-learning programs in recent years, and now has them at about 20 schools, including at all of the district's Title I schools, meaning they receive federal funding for serving high percentages of students from low-income families. Programs focus on students who need additional academic help while also offering enrichment such as music, art and/or dance to keep the kids interested, said Rob Averett, Granite director of resource development.

"We recognize a need for it," Averett said.

Segura said she'd ultimately love to see half to 80 percent of kids involved in out-of-school programs.

"It's good for all children no matter what type of a social status they have or how they're performing in school," Segura said.

As the group pushes to expand afterschool programs in Utah, it's also focusing on quality, however, working with the state to monitor programs and help improve them.

Quality programs are a boon not just to parents and schools, Rubalcava said, but also to communities. It's part of the reason South Salt Lake helps fund the program at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, along with some others, she said.

"We're committed to making sure each and every child has the opportunity to be educated and safe and be in a caring environment," Rubalcava said. "So much of our community's success depends on the success of our kids."

lschencker@sltrib.com —

More online

To learn more about afterschool programs in Utah go to utahafterschool.org, or if you're a parent looking to find out more about what's available go to utahafterschool.org/parent-information.