Weekly Media Roundup: August 31, 2022

Boys & Girls Clubs Help Fill Need for After-School Programing, Fox 2 Detroit (Michigan)

Amid historic unmet demand for afterschool, the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan is helping close the gap for students and their families with programming that includes tutoring, meals, sports, music and more. The need has never been higher: Afterschool Alliance Senior Vice President Jen Rinehart told Fox 2 Detroit that the number of students who would be enrolled in an afterschool program if one was available to them has risen by 60 percent since the first America After 3PM study was conducted in 2004. “Cost, and just pure access to programs and transportation are all barriers that are preventing young people from participating,” Rinehart said. “There is a tremendous opportunity right now with the American Rescue Plan dollars that are in states and local communities, and there is a portion of those dollars that are specifically dedicated to afterschool and summer programs.”

Ohio 'ACE Program' Offers Opportunity, Additional Untapped Funding for Kids Across Northeast Ohio, ABC News 5 (Ohio)

For many low-income families, afterschool and summer programs are out of reach because of the cost. To help lessen the financial burden, the Ohio Department of Education created the Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) program to provide financial support to families with an income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. “These funds are designed to help students, particularly in lower-income families, access activities that help them catch up academically, help them reengage in school,” Colleen Grady, a senior program officer for Educational Options and Policy, told ABC News 5. Michelle Houston, a mother in Canton, Ohio, was grateful for the ACE funding that enabled her two daughters to attend a summer art enrichment camp. Houston was encouraged that her daughters were active and learning new skills at the camp and she told ABC News 5 “my girls absolutely love it.”

Affordable After-School Options for Families, Western Mass News (Massachusetts)

Approximately 2,400 students attend Springfield Boys and Girls Club afterschool programs in Springfield, Massachusetts and families only pay $40/year for this vital service. “For the parents, some of them are working two, even three jobs. They need to know that there’s a positive place, a safe place for the kids to go after school,” Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Vincent Borello told Western Mass News. “In our 132-year history, we’ve never turned a child away, so any child that wants to come to the Boys and Girls Club is always welcome.”

SFSD Piloting New After School Program, KELO-TV (South Dakota)

Thanks to a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, the Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota is starting a new afterschool program at four schools through partnerships with local nonprofits. “So in this first-year pilot together, our great staff is combining with their great staff to operate alongside each other,” Sarah Hanson, Managing Director of Children Youth and Family Services at Volunteers of America South Dakota, told KELO-TV. Eventually, school leaders hope to expand the new program across the school district.