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Weekly Media Roundup: November 15, 2023

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Weekly Media Roundup: November 15, 2023

Opinion: Students Aren’t Spending Enough Time Learning. Here’s How We Can Improve Outcomes., The San Diego Union-Tribune (California)

In a recent guest column in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Courtney Baltiyskyy and Aleah Rosario share how California’s recent $4 billion investment in out-of-school time programs is already making a difference at the YMCA of San Diego County, where Baltiyskyy is vice president of policy & advocacy. Since the funding increase, the program has raised wages for more than 700 staff and is now able to provide 4,000 more students with high-quality afterschool programming. “These experiences that connect learning about conservation, creative arts, career opportunities and more are supporting positive mental health, enthusiasm for learning and importantly show students that no matter their ZIP code, they are worthy of an amazing educational opportunity,” Baltiyskyy and Rosario write.

Over 80% of Public Schools Offered Summer Programs in 2023, K-12 Dive

Last summer, 78 percent of U.S. public schools offered academically focused summer programs and nearly a third of them used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to support these programs, finds a recent U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report. The report also finds 87 percent of public schools currently offer some form of afterschool programming. “The new data tell an important story about the additional opportunities available to help students beyond the school day, especially at a time when academic recovery from the pandemic remains a top concern,” NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr said. Education leaders caution that many schools will not be able to offer summer programs once the COVID federal aid ends in the fall of 2024.

Full Circle: The Unsung Heroes Behind the Scenes Keeping Kids Out of Trouble, ABC Action News (Florida)

To address the alarming rate of juvenile crime, the Tampa Police Athletic League Boxing program in Florida provides students a safe place to exercise but more importantly build relationships with adult mentors who follow the afterschool program’s core values of commitment, honor, integrity, and courage. “We get a lot of kids that have domestic and family issues at home. And they just come here to seek normalcy in their life,” Master Police Officer Julius Cannon told ABC Action News. “And so we get a mixture of kids, we get the kids who want to participate in boxing and be athletic, and then we get the kids who just need to get away and be mentored… I like to feel like I’ve at least helped out a small percentage of cases. And for me, that’s the biggest achievement of my career.”

Community Helps After-School Science Lab Gather Steam, The Reflector (North Carolina)

Last week, on National STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Day, the Building Hope Community Life Center’s afterschool program in Greenville, North Carolina opened a new STEAM lab with microscopes, computers, chemistry equipment, a Van De Graaff generator and more. Dozens of education, government and business leaders attended the event to celebrate the afterschool program’s impact and highlight the importance of increasing students’ access to hands-on STEAM activities. “The STEM field is rapidly changing with new opportunities that we could not have even imagined five, 10, 15 years ago,” U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy told attendees via video “So it’s very exciting to see the work that Building Hope has embarked upon to engage future young talent.”

Weekly Media Roundup: October 9, 2024

What Do Teens Do After School? Utica Hoping They'll Head to Parkway Recreation Center, Utica Observer Dispatch (New York) This fall, Parkway Recreation Center in Utica, New York will open a free afterschool program for teenagers, providing them a safe space to engage in leadership...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/09/24

Weekly Media Roundup: October 2, 2024

Minneapolis, St. Paul Educators Rally as Pandemic-Era Funding for Arts, After-School Programs Dries Up, WCCO-TV (Minnesota) As federal COVID relief funding winds down, parents, educators and lawmakers rallied at Adams Immersion Elementary School in St. Paul to call on lawmakers to prevent...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/02/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

Beaufort County Innovative Afterschool Program Lands $2.3M Grant from Coastal Community Foundation, Post and Courier (South Carolina) Thanks to a $2.3 million Catalyst Grant, the largest ever awarded by the Coastal Community Foundation, the UNITED (Uniting Neighbors for Instructional...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/25/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 18, 2024

In Visit to Detroit, Usher Praises Boys & Girls Club After-School Programs, Detroit Free Press (Michigan) Last week, R&B artist Usher held “Usher’s Club Takeover” at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan in Detroit. At the two-day event, more than 1,500...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 11, 2024

Philadelphia Program Allows Students to Tap into Healing Power of Music, WHYY (Pennsylvania) Students in afterschool programs across Philadelphia are expressing themselves and processing difficult emotions through songwriting thanks to Beyond The Bars, a local nonprofit. Matt Kerr founded the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/11/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 4, 2024

Edwardsburg Launches Before and After School Care Program on First Day of Classes, WNDU (Michigan) Camp Fire River Bend is opening a new before-school and afterschool program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Edwardsburg, Michigan, and it already has a waitlist....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/04/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 28, 2024

Anonymous Donor Saves Troy After-School Program, News 10 (New York) For 45 years, the Ark has provided a safe, enriching afterschool program for students in Troy, New York. But when the program lost a grant that covered 90 percent of its budget, Executive Director Penny Holmes worried it would...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 21, 2024

Madison Out-of-School Time (MOST) to Recognize Outstanding Youth Workers for Their Dedication and Creativity Supporting Youth, Madison 365 (Wisconsin) Next week, Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will honor 11 afterschool staff members as Madison-area Out-of-School Time (MOST)...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 14, 2024

Virginia Designates Additional Aid for At-Risk Students, Virginia Mercury (Virginia) Beginning this fall, Virginia schools will have an additional $180 million per year to support at-risk students. A 2023 study found that Virginia provided less state funding for at-risk students than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 7, 2024

Chicago Touts After-School Program Growth But Cuts Funding, Chalkbeat Weeks before the school year begins, many Chicago afterschool programs are facing dramatic funding cuts as federal COVID funds wind down and Chicago Public Schools is allocating fewer resources to out-of-school time programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/07/24