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Weekly Media Roundup: January 11, 2023

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Weekly Media Roundup: January 11, 2023

Color a Positive Thought: Bridgeport Man Creates Coloring Book, After-School Program for City Kids, WTNH (Connecticut)

Bridgeport, Connecticut native Harry Bell created “Color a Positive Thought,” a coloring book with inspirational phrases, to help children and families facing challenges like those he experienced, including childhood trauma and substance abuse. Bell uses the proceeds from the coloring book to fund a free afterschool program in Bridgeport which is attended by 50 to 75 students each day. The program includes homework help, art, hip hop, sports and more. “In here, they can be that kid and smile and laugh and feel like they’re home,” Bell told WTNH. “We give them a hot meal every day, too.”

Newly Signed Ohio Bill Expands Afterschool Enrichment Accounts, The Ohio Star (Ohio)

On January 6, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a spending bill increasing the state’s supplemental education assistance credit for low-income families from $500 to $1,000. As part of the state’s COVID recovery efforts, the ACE Educational Savings Account program provides families a $1,000 credit to pay for before- or afterschool programs, summer camps, tutoring or other educational services or materials. “In light of the historic learning loss suffered during the pandemic, the need to get parents and students education resources is critical,” Buckeye Institute research fellow Greg R. Lawson told the Ohio Star. “By increasing the income-eligibility threshold for students and the amount in individual ACE accounts to $1,000, the reforms Governor DeWine signed into law will make it easier for families to access indispensable education resources.”

LAUSD Superintendent Launches Big Tutoring Expansion and Evening Buses for Kids, Los Angeles Daily News (California)

To help ensure afterschool programs are accessible to all families, starting in January, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will provide bus service home to students participating in the Youth Empowered Scholars Academy afterschool program. The district hopes to expand the service to 100 additional schools. “We will do the equivalent of concierge service, meaning door-to-door delivery. We have coordinated these bus routes to provide an opportunity for students, who are bused or not bused, and are afraid to take advantage of this additional service,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Los Angeles Daily News. The district will also provide tutoring during the regular school hours at schools with the greatest need.

Marin Teenager Fosters After-School Chess Boom, Marin Independent Journal (California)

High schooler Henry Lien founded ChessPals to introduce elementary schoolers to chess through weekly sessions at five afterschool programs in the Bay Area. His goal is to increase access to chess within underrepresented and predominantly Spanish-speaking communities, while developing students’ cognitive and social-emotional skills. “Thanks to Henry and the ChessPals program, we’ve seen immediate engagement and excitement from students in our after-school programs who have never played chess before,” Education Administrator Mike Taylor told the Marin Independent Journal. “Everyone is building really meaningful connections.”

Weekly Media Roundup: February 26, 2025

Discover How the Leaps After School Program is Transforming Lives at Harrison Elementary, News Channel 9 (Tennessee) At Harrison Elementary’s Leaps After School Program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students are publishing a newspaper focusing on Black historical figures to be displayed...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/26/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 19, 2025

Durham Teens Fight for After-School Program Funding Amid Youth Gun Violence: 'My Safe Space,' ABC 11 (North Carolina) In Durham, North Carolina, teenagers rallied together to urge Durham City Council members to increase funding for afterschool programs, sharing how critical these...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/19/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 12, 2025

'He Invests His Own Money': After School Program Started by Pasco School Employee Still Going Strong, WFTS-TV (Florida) In the 1980s, Eugene Scott founded an afterschool program called This Is How We Do It to provide food, music, dance, mentorship and more to students in his Pasco County...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/12/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 5, 2025

Claysburg-Kimmel Touts New Programs for Students, Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania) Students at the Bulldog After-School Club in Claysburg, Pennsylvania are participating in new educational activities with a Beam mobile projector that transforms the center into an interactive visual playground. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/05/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 29, 2025

Afterschool Program Introduces West Columbia Students to Technology, The Facts (Texas) Students at West Columbia Elementary in Texas are taking part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities in the new Robocatters afterschool program, which already has a long...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/29/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 22, 2025

Another Year, Another Long Waitlist for BUSD After-School Program, Berkeleyside (California) Due to ongoing staffing shortages, more than 200 students are currently waitlisted for afterschool programs at Berkeley Unified School District. Parents in the district’s PTA Collaborative on...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/22/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 15, 2025

New 4-H Program Will Bring STEAM to Area Students, KNEB (Nebraska) Students in rural Expanding Learning Opportunity programs in Nebraska are exploring aerospace, electronics, engineering, robotics and more thanks to a partnership with 4-H. The Think Make Create Lab is a six-by-12 mobile trailer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/15/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 8, 2025

Parks and Recreation Secures Grant to Bring Physical Activity Education to Youth in Afterschool Program, WBIW (Indiana) More than 50 students in the Banneker Afterschool program in Bloomington, Indiana are taking part in fun physical activities this year led by Indiana University School of...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/08/25

Weekly Media Roundup: December 18, 2024

Mason City YMCA Teaching Social and Emotional Skills to Kids, News-Press Now (Iowa) Students in the Mason City YMCA afterschool program in Iowa practice communication, emotional regulation, empathy and more in twice-weekly social and emotional learning sessions, learning, for instance, to take...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: December 11, 2024

Usher Helps Cut Ribbon On New Content Studio at Metro Boys and Girls, WSB-TV (Georgia) This week, superstar Usher visited the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil a new content studio he donated featuring soundboards, mics, computers and other audio equipment. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/11/24