Weekly Media Roundup: April 26, 2023

Local After School Care Program Aims to Help Kids Regain Knowledge Lost Due to COVID, KFDA (Texas)

At the Bear Paws afterschool program in Amarillo, Texas, middle school students are participating in engaging activities to tackle learning loss from the pandemic. “We’re trying to approach it from all different angles to help those students fill in those academic gaps that were missed during the COVID years,” Darlene Martin, the director of Bear Paws, told KFDA. The program provides daily meals to the students and invites community leaders to come to the program and share their talents.

Afterschool Boys & Girls Club Program Targeting Substance Abuse Coming to Hanford Next Fall, The Sentinel (California)

This fall, the Boys & Girls Club of Hanford, California will open an afterschool program for middle and high school students focusing on drug prevention and incorporating a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities. “We’re going to give them hands-on experience using cutting-edge technology,” Hanford Parks and Community Services Director Brad Albert told The Sentinel. “Hopefully that will translate into students pursuing STEM degrees and careers right here in the Central Valley.” The program received a 5-year $2.45 million grant through Proposition 64, the California state ballot initiative that legalized the adult use of marijuana.

Report Finds ‘Huge Unmet Demand’ for Afterschool Programs Among Native American Families, Youth Today

Nearly half of Native Americans families surveyed as part of the 2020 America After 3PM study said they would enroll their child in an afterschool program if they could, but they did not have access to one. In addition to program availability, cost and transportation remain significant barriers to afterschool in Native American communities. “These kids are missing out on participating in programs and all the opportunities that programs afford,” Nikki Yamashiro, vice president of research at the Afterschool Alliance, told Youth Today. “There needs to be more done in terms of helping families overcome the barriers.” Programs such as the Two Feathers Native American Family Services afterschool program in Northern California are seeking to fill the gap with accessible, culturally relevant programming.

Connecticut's Summer Enrichment Program is Awarded $11.5 Million to Continue, Connecticut Public Radio (Connecticut)

Since its inception in 2021, Connecticut’s Summer Enrichment grant program has awarded funding to more than 400 summer learning programs across the state. This year, the State Department of Education announced it will allocate $11.5 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to provide transportation and scholarships so more students can participate. “This program is helping provide a safe and enriching summer experience for our kids and will benefit our communities for years to come,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont told Connecticut Public Radio.