A report recommending that the city and the Rochester school district collaborate to develop a joint after-school recreation program has been presented to City Council, Mayor Bob Duffy, and Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard for review.

The report, put together by the Rochester Community Foundation and the nonprofit After-School Corporation, shows that after-school activities keep kids safe, help working families, and keep kids engaged in learning.

"They attend school because they look forward to the activities," says Caroline Jonah Merenda, a spokeswoman for the foundation.

City budget cuts eliminated most after-school recreation programs, but Duffy restored the funding when Brizard agreed to explore a joint effort. After-school recreation programs, which are city-funded and located in the schools, help provide oversight and activities for students between the hours of 3 to 6 p.m. It's a time when many parents of city students are not home.

The report recommends picking six pilot sites for a new program to launch in January 2009. The cost, shared by the city and the district, is estimated at $1,600 to $2,000 per student.

Brizard says that he and the mayor agree on adding a strong academic component to any new after-school program.

The school board would have to approve funding for the program. Board member Willa Powell, who has not seen the report, expressed concern about using district funds to provide child-care activities because that can widen the district's mission beyond academic achievement. The district already subsidizes at least one school-day meal to more than 70 percent of its students.