Keely, Winkler describe benefits of youth development programs in SC

In a commentary appearing in The Post and Courier, Amy Keely and Claudia Winkler of The Riley Institute at Furman University, ask, “Are students truly prepared for college and careers? Do our systems work together to ensure their success?”

Claudia Winkler, The Riley Institute. Photo: Jeremy Fleming.

Keely, director of South Carolina Afterschool Leaders Empowered, and Winkler, director of marketing, communications and strategic alignment, note that South Carolina students saw a decline of 27% in career readiness, and only a third of SC high school graduates are considered “college ready.”

For many SC children, transportation barriers, income challenges and other structural realities limit “sustained access to programs and experiences that build academic and social skills, confidence, relationships and readiness for a future beyond school,” they write.

As a viable remedy, Keely and Winkler describe Kids On Point, an afterschool and summer program serving about 500 students in the Lowcountry and winner of the 2026 Dick and Tunky Riley WhatWorksSC Award. They say KOP’s success hinges on a tightly aligned network comprising more than 50 partners. They also cite similar programs in Boston and Baltimore that rally community partners toward boosting youth outcomes.

“If a relatively small nonprofit working with partners can create this kind of impact,” they write, “it raises important questions about what could be achieved through stronger city- and statewide coordination around youth development.”

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