Weekly Media Roundup: December 23, 2020

Lack Of Afterschool Program Access In Indiana Could Impact Education, Economic Recovery, WBAA (Georgia)

A recent household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance, America After 3PM, found that more than 400,000 children in Indiana cannot access the afterschool programs they need. Advocates say afterschool programs are essential to helping families recover from the pandemic, because they support students’ learning and enable parents to work. Lakshmi Hasanadka, CEO of the Indiana Afterschool Network, noted that unequal access to afterschool exacerbates other inequities. “Studies show that affluent youth experience 6,000 more hours of enrichment and learning compared to their low-income peers by the eighth grade,” Hasanadka told WBAA.

Educator Continues Visual and Performing Art Education Programs Throughout Pandemic, The Atlanta Voice (Georgia)

When budget cuts resulted in the elimination of arts programs in Atlanta schools during the 2008 recession, art teacher Ty Woods started Artportunity Knocks to give students a safe place to learn new skills and express themselves. The nonprofit serves more than 20,000 Atlanta students through afterschool programs at schools and recreation centers. During the pandemic, Artportunity Knocks has kept students engaged through online art classes and is making plans to expand its ‘learning pods,’ where students can do online learning in small, socially distanced groups. “It’s more than a babysitting place or a place for kids to do online school,” Woods told the Atlanta Voice. “It’s a place for them to learn and create. I want kids to come and also take up a guitar class or an acting class.”

How an NJ Boys & Girls Club Did 'Whatever it Takes' to Fight for Kids While Facing COVID, Asbury Park Press (New Jersey)

When the pandemic hit and in-person programming closed, the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County in Asbury Park, New Jersey quickly launched BGCM Boundless, an online learning center, and began distributing more than 150 meals each evening to students and the broader community. Since then, the Club has reopened with strict social distancing measures to offer students a safe place to do online school, take acting, writing and music classes, and more. “Little did we know that [our motto] 'whatever it takes' was really something that put us to the test when COVID hit. Many of our staff lost family members. But day in and day out, they came in with passion and creativity,” Executive Director Doug Eagles told Asbury Park Press. “It’s not just about homework help. It’s about the love and support we can provide kids.”

Community First Credit Union Partners with YMCA to Introduce After School Programs at 4 Northwest Jacksonville Schools, Jacksonville Business Journal (Florida)

About 340 children at four schools in Jacksonville, Florida will benefit from comprehensive afterschool programming provided by the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, thanks to a $40,000 grant from Community First Credit Union. The programs will focus on character development, nutrition, physical fitness, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). The grant is part of an effort by the Credit Union to combat systemic racism, particularly in response to recent Black Lives Matter protests. “Community First looked at what was happening in our country, and looked at what was happening in our community, and asked what organization has a track record of working with young people in Northwest Jacksonville,” YMCA of Florida’s First Coast CEO Eric Mann told the Jacksonville Business Journal