Weekly Media Roundup: August 17, 2022

North Carolina YMCA Afterschool Programs Growing Students Critical Skills, WFMY (North Carolina)

Recent assessments of North Carolina Alliance of YMCAs’ afterschool programs found that two-thirds of participating students improved in two or more character development skills this past year. “We have seen students struggle so much during the past school year,” YMCA Senior Association Youth Development Director Ebony Burnett told WFMY. “We have been energized to see the data on how the kids have benefitted from our intentional focus on social and emotional learning.”

Long Waitlists for After-School Care as Programs Struggle to Find Workers and Demand Soars, Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

Out-of-school time programs across Chicago —and across the country — are struggling to hire the qualified workers they need. In a recent Afterschool Alliance survey, about half of the programs surveyed reported being extremely concerned about staffing shortages. Low staffing has resulted in long waitlists at many programs, leaving parents scrambling to find a safe place for their children to go after the final school bell rings while they are at work.  “The working parents in the communities we serve never had the luxury to work at home, because they’re essential workers employed by restaurants, hospitals and child care centers,” Carole Robertson Center for Learning Out-of-School Time Director and Afterschool Ambassador Kenny Riley told the Chicago Tribune.

New After-School Program Showcasing Future Opportunities for Waynesboro Students, WHSV (Virginia)

This fall, middle school students attending the On the Road Collaborative afterschool program in Waynesboro, Virginia will learn about exciting career opportunities in their community. The new 10-week program at Kate Collins Middle School focuses on teambuilding, time management skills and includes guest lectures with local business owners, entrepreneurs and skilled trade workers. “It’ll help provide that equal access for students that need somewhere to be after school. Plus, it helps to connect us with the community, which is something that we really, really desire,” Kate Collins Middle School Principal Marcia Nester told WHSV.

STEM Camp Provides Expanded Learning Opportunities for Kid City Students, Dalton Daily Citizen (Georgia)

In June, students in the Kid City summer learning program in Dalton County, Georgia took part in a three-day science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) camp at Dalton State College. There, they designed and built boats to practice engineering, learned about the water cycle through experiments with chemicals, and simulated processes in nature. “We get to do some things here we couldn’t at another [location],” fifth grader Jace Darnell told the Dalton Daily Citizen. “There are more opportunities, and it helps with learning.” The summer program is funded through a 21^st Century Community Learning Centers grant and also offers outdoor activities, sports, arts and more.