Weekly Media Roundup: September 30, 2026

Aces in Motion gives Alachua County Students Pathways to Success, Gainesville Sun (Florida)

At Aces In Motion (AIM), a free afterschool program in Gainesville, Florida, middle and high school students receive tennis instruction alongside academic support and leadership development. “Tennis remains an important part of who we are, but we are intentionally building a comprehensive youth-development organization centered around academics, character development, health, college and career readiness, and long-term success,” AIM Executive Director Vincent Miller II told the Gainesville Sun. The program also supports students’ social and emotional well-being with access to a mental health counselor and mentoring.

Muskogee Public Schools Receives $1.2M to Expand Student Support: 'We’re Excited,' KJRH (Oklahoma)

Thanks to a $1.2 million donation from the William Berry Love Foundation, Muskogee Public Schools will expand afterschool programs focused on academics and enrichment while hiring 10 additional teachers to provide small group instruction during the school day. “We’re excited about those two programs, and we could not do that without the William Berry Love Foundation,” Superintendent Dr. Jarod Mendenhall told KJRH. The funding will also provide bus transportation home for students, helping remove a common barrier to participating in afterschool programs.

Hunger Free New Jersey Report Highlights Gaps in Afterschool Meal Access Across the State, WickedLocal.com (New Jersey)

The latest “State of Afterschool Meals in New Jersey” report from Hunger Free New Jersey finds that just 4 in 100 New Jersey students who receive free or reduced-price school lunch also get meals in afterschool programs. The report provides recommendations for local organizations, state agencies and federal policymakers to increase participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program’s (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals program to boost access to healthy meals after school. “More than 300,000 children in New Jersey experience food insecurity, and afterschool meals can play an important role in reducing childhood hunger,” Lisa Pitz, director of Hunger Free New Jersey., told WickedLocal.com. “Access to nutritious food after school helps children stay focused and engaged in activities, gives working families peace of mind, strengthens afterschool programs and brings additional federal resources into local communities.”

Local Organization Teaches Kids Life Skills Through Cooking Classes, Spectrum News 1 (Ohio)

In the Inspire2Cook afterschool program in Euclid, Ohio, elementary students learn how to cook nutritious meals and safely use knives, stoves, and ovens. Then they eat together while discussing what they have learned. The cooking club is part the Good2Great afterschool program’s wide variety of offerings, which also include STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) enrichment, music, hair braiding, track and field, mental health support, entrepreneurship and more. Good2Great founder Cordale Scott told Spectrum News 1 that the goal of Inspire2Cook is to help instill “core values, some of the character development skills we are teaching within learning how to cook, and just a positive mindset in everything [students] do.”