NEW! Stephanie Robinson talks about Lights On Afterschool10/22/2009

Afterschool was the hot topic on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a popular radio show that is broadcasted to more than 10 million listeners nationwide.

Commentator Stephanie Robinson shined a spotlight on the more than 14.3 million children—including 40,000 kindergarteners—who are on their own and at-risk after school.  “The scary thing though is that we’re going to see many more children coming home after school to an empty house,” Robinson said.  She explained that recent budget cuts are forcing many afterschool program providers to trim back services and hours or close down completely. At the same time, demand for quality afterschool programs will only increase as struggling families are forced to take on second and third jobs to make ends meet.

Robinson urged her listeners to sign onto Afterschool for All and to write President-elect Obama asking him to increase funding for afterschool.

Listen to the show here.

Stephanie Robinson, Esq. is the Founding President and CEO of The Jamestown Project, a national think tank that focuses on democracy.