Weekly Media Roundup, June 4, 2025

Sowing Seeds for the Future at the Alliance Recreation Center, Alliance Times-Herald (Nebraska)

At the Alliance Recreation Center’s summer program in Alliance, Nebraska, students learn how to plant vegetable and flower beds, tending to the gardens each morning and enjoying the fruits of their labor not only during the summer but also in the fall at the center’s afterschool program. Last year, the student garden produced 159 zucchinis. “(We are) really focused on helping the academic slide decrease (with) a lot of extended learning opportunities,” Alliance Recreation Center executive director Reve Fries told the Alliance Times-Herald. Community partners support the program, participating as guest speakers and volunteers throughout the year.

Abington Kids to Open New Location This Fall, Abington Journal (Pennsylvania)

The Abington Kids Creative Learning Center is opening its third site this fall in Abington, Pennsylvania, offering before-school, afterschool and day programs that focus on enriching, hands-on learning opportunities, including STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), arts and physical activities. “Inspired by the need for more family friendly spaces in our community, Abington Kids Imagination Staftion is an innovative, modernized concept that is fueled by a child’s natural desire to create, explore and collaborate,” founder Melissa Namiotka told the Abington Journal.

An After-School Program in Trump’s Backyard Struggles to Survive DOGE Cuts, The Washington Post

As a teacher at the Aspire Afterschool Learning program in Arlington, Virginia, Andrew Gelsinger helps students succeed academically, manage their emotions, and discover their passions. But in April, Gelsinger received an email informing him he was being terminated due to AmeriCorps cuts made by the Trump administration. The next week, the program hired back its 17 AmeriCorps service members on a temporary basis, but it does not have the funding to sustain the program long-term unless the AmeriCorps funding is restored. That worries the working parents who rely on the program, including Juan Jose Soto, whose 11-year-old son formed a close relationship with Gelsinger. “Work doesn’t allow us to be on top of them all the time. They don’t have anyone to watch over them. They’re safer here,” Soto told the Washington Post, adding that his son asked him: “Why are they doing this? Why are they taking this away from me?”

Bronx Youth Boat Program Honored By ’80s Music Icon at Town Hall, Bronx Times (New York)

Students in the Rocking the Boat afterschool program in the Bronx learn to build and sail wooden boats while practicing environmental stewardship. Since the program first opened its doors, students have built nearly 60 wooden vessels. “Beyond all the technical skills that go into building and sailing and environmental science, the primary benefit is the sense of purpose and accomplishment,” Adam Green, the program’s founder and executive director, told the Bronx Times. “We’re not just learning science to pass a test. We’re learning science to improve the health of our local river.” Last week, Rocking the Boat students were recognized by musician David Byrne at a fundraiser for Byrne’s nonprofit, Reasons to be Cheerful, which funds community-based initiatives.