Weekly Media Roundup: December 15, 2021

With Toys, Books and Love, Granny's House Provides After-School Programs to Children, Columbia Missourian (Missouri)

Each day at the Granny’s House afterschool program in Columbia, Missouri, children enjoy outdoor activities, homework assistance, science clubs and field trips with local college student volunteers. “At Granny’s House, we really want to make learning and academic excellence cool,” Founder Pamela Ingram told the Columbia Missourian. The free afterschool program serves refugee families and those who live in public housing.

NU Students Deliver Holiday Meals, Niagara Gazette (New York)

During Thanksgiving, Niagara University’s Levesque Institute for Civic Engagement partnered with the F-Bites afterschool program to provide turkeys, side dishes and canned goods to families in New York’s Niagara Falls City School District. F-Bites’ middle school and high school participants prepared the food as part of an ongoing focus on nutrition and skills trainings. “The Levesque Institute was happy to collaborate with the Niagara Falls City School District and F-Bites to make this happen,” Karen Kwandrans, executive director of Levesque Institute, told the Niagara Gazette. “Initiatives like these enable our students to live Niagara’s Vincentian mission and see firsthand how their service impacts their community.”

American Rescue Plan Funds Fuel Expansion in Afterschool Programs, Youth Today

Across the country, afterschool programs are increasing capacity and expanding their services thanks to funding for afterschool in the American Rescue Plan. For example, in Florida, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County secured funds to expand one afterschool program from 2 to 5 days a week, as well as hire more staff and accept all students who were waitlisted for another program. “We are helping tremendously with this learning loss,” Stephanie Anne Graf, program leader and Afterschool Ambassador, told Youth Today. “[Families] felt their children were pretty isolated [during the pandemic] and they needed to learn how to take turns, stand in line, interact and have a good time with other kids.”  Still, the new funds are only available for three years, and more permanent funding is needed to ensure all students and families can access the afterschool programs they need. 

After-School Program Increases Accessibility for West Ottawa Students, WOOD-TV (Michigan)

At the Panther Pathways afterschool program in Holland, Michigan, students explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), play sports, make art and more. The program is designed to help students discover new interests, expose them to opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise, and develop a sense of belonging. “I like my [basketball] coach because he teaches us a lot of things,” a fourth-grader named Aliyah told WOOD-TV. “I feel great because they just see me as a role model in basketball and I really like that.”