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Weekly Media Roundup: February 24, 2016

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Weekly Media Roundup: February 24, 2016

Teaching Bronx Students the Language of Computers (New York Times, New York)

A growing movement in the Bronx is getting students of all ages involved in writing computer code: in afterschool programs, during school, and at all-day weekend hackathons. Community and education organizations throughout the borough are stepping up their efforts to make coding lessons more accessible, which New York Public Library associate director of technology training programs Brandy McNeil recognizes as a key issue. “The problem is there aren’t enough quality, free programs out there,” she told the New York Times. The library is doing its part by expanding its six-week afterschool video game coding course in the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.

Parks Administrator Dedicates Her Life to Teaching Children about Healthy Living (Miami Herald, Florida)

Renae Nottage has spent the past 26 years steering kids away from drugs and toward healthy habits at Miami-Dade County’s Parks and Recreation Department. She recently helped found the Fit 2 Play program with the University of Miami, which provides afterschool exercise activities, tutoring and nutrition lessons. “From being outdoors, to being active, to playing together, the program teaches these kids so many of the social skills that they’ll need to get through the rest of their lives,” UM pediatric researcher Dr. Sarah Messiah told the Miami Herald. Fit 2 Play is now a national model for anti-obesity programs, one that pediatricians are even promoting directly through medical prescriptions.

Chess Club in Oklahoma City Is for Women and Girls (Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma)

While boys and girls both enjoy chess when they’re younger, by sixth grade, girls often move onto other activities. That’s why Rebecca Rutledge, executive director of the Youth Chess League of Central Oklahoma Inc., started a ladies-only afterschool chess club, which she hopes will create a comfortable space for girls to learn and practice chess together, supporting and fostering each other’s skills. Chess has shown to have numerous behavioral benefits: including confidence, sportsmanship and the ability to plan ahead. “It costs almost nothing and breaks down barriers between genders, ages and ethnicities,” Rutledge told the Daily Oklahoman.

After-School Program Helps With Academics, Attitudes (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia)

The Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) is helping students of migrant families learn English and math through a free afterschool tutoring program. Many of the kids’ parents work, or they have trouble helping with homework due to a language barrier. The afterschool program gives the children a safe and productive place to develop their academic abilities and leadership skills while their parents are at work. “We strive to create a healthy life for this community’s children, improve their academic levels and mold young people who are more responsible,” CPACS member Ricardo Broce told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The organization also offers classes for parents to learn how to support their children academically. 

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24