Weekly Media Roundup: May 11, 2022

Wimauma After School Program Provides Consistent, Safe Place for Students to Grow, ABC Action News (Florida)

At the Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos afterschool program in Wimauma, Florida, children of migrant workers enjoy participating in yoga classes, painting murals with local artists and learning new mindfulness exercises. “I've learned that the families that we work with are extremely hardworking, that they want the best for their children, that these children come to school every day and it is the most consistent place in their life where they can feel safe, where they can feel taken care of, where they know, they're gonna get fed, that we are not just feeding their bellies, but we're feeding their minds and we're feeding their hearts," Mary Torres, Program Manager of Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos, told ABC Action News. The afterschool program is currently offered to kindergarten through third grade students and hopes to include fourth and fifth graders next year.

‘The Rhythm Gets to Me’: Conjunto Music Motivating Edinburg Elementary Students in After-School Program, KRGV-TV (Texas)

In the afterschool program at Betts Elementary in Edinburg, Texas, students are gaining confidence, learning new skills and forming a sense of belonging by learning to play conjunto music. Assistant Principal Emmanuel Leon helped form the conjunto group, gathering instruments and teaching the kids to play, when students expressed interest in learning music after school. Program leaders say the group has motivated students to come to school. “I was, like, a not good kid, but now, I got on the [conjunto] team, so I picked up my grades better. I behave better in class,” fourth grader Eduardo Falcon told KRGV-TV.

$247K Grant Leads to New Blanchester Before- and After-School Programs, Summer Programs, Wilmington News Journal (Ohio)

Thanks to an Afterschool and Summer Learning Opportunities grant, students at Putman Elementary School in Blanchester, Ohio will participate in engaging educational activities throughout the summer. Putman Elementary School Principal Jeri Earley is thrilled to receive the grant. “It allows to create opportunities for kids such as literacy and math programs. Also, it’s in a camp setting which provides opportunities for outdoor and team-building activities,” Earley told the Wilmington News Journal. The grant will also provide funding for professional development training for staff members.

Soccer For Success Provides Local Children Education in the Sport, and in Healthy Life Choices, WBFO (New York)

The Soccer for Success afterschool program in Western New York combines soccer, homework help, mentorship, nutrition and more to help students reach their goals, stay healthy and grow academically and socially. Coaches and program leaders also build relationships with students’ parents and work to meet their families’ needs. “So if they need fresh produce, we will help them and provide that for them. We bring out farmers markets each time we're at a site,” Carrie Meyer, executive director of the Independent Health Foundation, which sponsors the program, told WBFO. “We're constantly asking the parents for their feedback and we're continuing to listen to what their needs are, and what services they need. And that's what we want to bring to the table.”