Weekly Media Roundup: April 3, 2024

At IPS School 43, Teaching Kids to Read is a Community Effort, WISH-TV (Indiana)

At the Martin Luther King Community Center’s afterschool program in Indianapolis, Indiana, elementary school students are paired with mentors who encourage them to read through a variety of engaging activities. “We try to make it fun and creative for them to see things in a different way,” Jonna Lee, a youth worker with the MLK Center, told WISH-TV. “To understand that they are still learning, but we’re having fun doing it.” The afterschool literacy program was created eight years ago to meet the needs of at-risks students attending James Whitcomb Riley School 43 and provides students healthy meals each day, as well as transportation and mental health services.

15 More Hillsborough Schools to Get Free After-School Meals as Need Grows, Bay News 9 (Florida)

With support from the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, 15 additional Hillsborough County schools in Florida will provide meals at their afterschool programs. “In our economy that’s still suffering from the side effects of COVID, we have many families that just can’t afford nutritious foods at home,” Shani Hall, director of Student Nutrition Services at Hillsborough County Public Schools, told Bay News 9. “They’re struggling paying their bills. So we look for any ways we can offer nutritious foods for kids to help them grow and learn.” A total of 190 Hillsborough County schools offer nutritious meals at their afterschool programs.

Boys & Girls Club of St. Marys Reaches 100 Years of Supporting Youth, Courier Express (Pennsylvania)

To celebrate a century of providing a safe space for students to explore their interests and learn new skills, the Boys and Girls Club of St. Marys in Pennsylvania unveiled an animated digital billboard featuring students’ art. It also will host two open houses and is aiming to raise $100,000 to strengthen and expand its programming this year. The Club opened its doors in 1924, offering boys the opportunity to learn woodworking, play sports and games, join a marching band and more. Today, Club students of all genders get tutoring, explore art and cooking, and learn to play the ukulele and take part in fitness activities. “One hundred years in a rural community for anything is quite impressive,” CEO Joe Jacob told the Courier Express. “To be able to capture and honor 100 years, and so many individuals who have helped grow the Club from past boards of directors and other executive directors and staff, is something I do not take lightly, and want to do right.”

Just Grow WIith it: YouthWorks Expands Its After-School and Summer Offerings With New Greenhouse Operation, Tulsa People (Oklahoma)

At YouthWorks afterschool and summer programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, more than 200 elementary and middle schoolers get help with math and reading, take part in fitness activities, explore farming, animal care and trade skills at the YouthWorks Ranch, and learn to run a business at the YouthWorks Pizza Factory. Now, thanks to funding from United Healthcare and the Kiwanis Club of Tulsa, students will also grow their own lettuces, vine crops and greens in the nonprofit’s new greenhouse, which features aeroponic, hydroponic and aquaponic growing systems. “We want them in an environment where it’s OK to mess up, and let them know that we’ll still love them,” YouthWorks Co-Founder Chris Beach told Tulsa People.