The After School Program was intitiated by a group of visionaries from St. John's Episcopal Church in La Porte, TX. In 1996 the program offered free care after school for 25 underserved studentss. In 1997 the program accepted 50 students, and today, with the support of St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, The Brown Foundation, The Bill and Helen Crowder Foundation, and many others, Kids Count has supplied half of the operating budget for the program.\\Because of the children's life situations they are at greater risk of drug abuse, teen pregnancy, dropping out of schook, incarceration and suicide. We provide a space where students can feel safe and loved. The help them build up a sense of self-efficacy and dinimsh their learned helplessness.