Weekly Media Roundup: August 3, 2022

Schoolkids in Stanislaus Will Learn to Grow and Cook Healthy Food Through USDA Grant, The Modesto Bee (California)

This fall, 96 students in afterschool programs in Stanislaus County, California will tour gardens, try new fruits and vegetables, and learn cooking skills thanks to a Farm to School grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Facilitated by the East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, the initiative is designed to help low-income students learn about nutrition and access healthy food. “The expansion of Farm to School is more important than ever for our kids,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the Modesto Bee. “When schools and local producers work together, children benefit from higher-quality foods on their plates and program operators have stable sources for the products they need.”

'We Come in to Fill Those Gaps': Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana to Reduce Program Fees for After School Care, WHAS (Kentucky)

In response to increasing inflation, the Boys & Girls Club of Kentuckiana in Louisville, Kentucky is reducing the afterschool program fees at all its sites by two-thirds to help local families. “We didn’t want this to be a burden or a barrier for our families,” Angela Masden, the Parkland Boys & Girls Club director, told WHAS. “Things are hard. Things are difficult. Things are changing. But our kids need consistency." The afterschool programs provide a variety of sports in addition to academic support and mental health services.

Community Center Gears Up for Afterschool Program, Madison Daily Leader (South Dakota)

This summer, students attending The Community Center camps in Madison, South Dakota explored local parks, museums and attractions. A highlight of the summer was a tour of Dakota State University and its CybHER Security Institute where campers learned about computer coding. This fall, the center will offer afterschool programs focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). “It’s a really fun, safe environment kids can come to and hang out with their friends and create those relationships with me and staff members,” Kaylee Winrow, youth service coordinator at The Community Center, told the Madison Daily Lead

Sarasota’s Summer Learning Programs Critical Amid Major Crises in Learning and Housing, Herald-Tribune (Florida)

Soaring housing prices in Florida have caused immense challenges for families and their children, who are still recovering emotionally and academically from the impact of the pandemic and remote learning. “I have worked with youth development for 30-plus years, and I’ve never seen anything quite like what we’re going through now,” Dawn Page, vice president of operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, told the Herald-Tribune. Out-of-school time programs are supporting students and their families who are facing housing insecurity by providing counseling, hands-on education activities, life skills lessons and more.