Weekly Media Roundup: April 15, 2020

After School Program Adjusting to Help Kids When There’s No School, QuadCities.com (Iowa)

While in-person programming is suspended due to coronavirus, the Spring Forward afterschool program in the Quad Cities region of Iowa has launched Spring Forward At Home. Through a partnership with Howard Health Quarters, the virtual program includes wellness activities streamed online at 4:00 PM each day, as well as positive messages and activities distributed via social media. “We like to give a message for the kids to encourage them to keep up on their learning,” Aaron Howard, owner of Howard Health Quarters, told QuadCities.com. “But then we also want to help them engage in some activity that’s good for them.”

Despite The Current Crisis, Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Continues Helping Kids In Need, Forbes

Using the video software Zoom, the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in New York City is continuing its drug prevention, literacy, and Imagine Science programs, and other activities while in-person programs are closed due to coronavirus. Staff are also hosting social calls online so students can catch up with their friends while maintaining social distancing. “Parents really appreciate these efforts from Kips Bay to stay engaged virtually,” Executive Director Daniel Quintero told Forbes.

After-School Programs Find Ways to Reach Kids, The Philadelphia Tribune (Pennsylvania)

Both the Mighty Writers and the After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP) programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are continuing to support students academically and emotionally while schools and programs are closed due to coronavirus. The Mighty Writers program, which helps about 3,500 students develop their writing skills across genres, is distributing boxes with food, writing worksheets in English and Spanish, as well as children’s books and young adult novels. The program is also holding virtual tutoring programs and weekly poetry contests. ASAP, which facilitates afterschool and summer enrichment programs for more than 5,000 students, is hosting daily online activities through its “After School at Home” initiative. “Through this, students are able to engage in chess, Scrabble, debate or drama activities. Everyday there is a different initiative,” ASAP Scrabble Manager Caroline Henley told the Philadelphia Tribune.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest NJ: Efforts Through Crisis, TAPinto.net (New Jersey)

More than 5,200 children are benefiting from twice daily interactive virtual meetups, a Virtual Club and Information Station, and “Zoom Rooms” organized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey while schools and programs are closed due to coronavirus. The meetups include live story time, themed dress-up days, crafts, and educational activities, while the Virtual Club & Information Station features a wide variety of resources, science and technology projects, exercise videos, resources for parents helping children with schoolwork, and more. Through the “Zoom Rooms,” staff host supervised social gatherings and facilitate conversations with students. “Since the closure of their sites on March 17th, the staff has worked diligently to remain connected to their members, and the community,” Director of Resource Development and Marketing Devon Maloney wrote in TAPinto.net.