Weekly Media Roundup: May 1, 2024

A Clovis Mother Identifies a Critical Need: More After-School Child Care, The Fresno Bee (California)

In a recent guest column for the Fresno Bee, Noha Elbaz shared how post-pandemic staffing shortages at afterschool programs have impacted her family. Before COVID, her family benefited from comprehensive out-of-school time programming offered by the Clovis Unified School District. “Post-pandemic, it’s been a different story. There are fewer locations, fewer spots in each location, four days a week instead of five for the limited summer weeks, more scheduled days off, and higher prices,” Elbaz writes. She advocates for higher wages for afterschool providers so districts can recruit and retain the staff needed to provide quality programs for all students.

Cities and Schools See New Opportunities to Partner on Child Care With State Grants, South Dakota Searchlight

Across South Dakota, 13 communities are receiving $3.7 million from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to increase access to quality, affordable child care. In rural Gregory County, which didn’t previously have any licensed afterschool programs, the funding will enable child care providers to partner with school campuses to provide afterschool programming for up to 90 students. “I don’t think families here understand how much they’ve rearranged their lives to accommodate the lack of after-school care,” Burke Business Promotion Council President Kelsea Sutton told the South Dakota Searchlight. “Whether that’s a grandparent reducing their work hours to take care of their grandkids after school, a parent doing that, or even a family making not the best or safest decision so they can have a full work day.”

Liberty City After-School Activity Center Changes Lives of Those They Serve, CBS News Miami (Florida)

In response to its community’s needs, the Multi-Ethnic Youth Group Association (MEYGA) Learning Center in Liberty City, Florida, has expanded its afterschool program to include remedial learning opportunities for students struggling in a traditional school setting. “To have a person, a mentor, that looks like you, that comes from the community and knows the struggle, it makes everything a little bit different,” MEYGA Learning Center founder and longtime Liberty City resident Samantha Quarterman told CBS News Miami. MEYGA provides financial, educational, and family support services to Liberty City residents in need.

Kids Klub Staff Recognizes After School Professionals Week, KNOP (Nebraska)

In honor of Afterschool Professionals Week, Kids Klub Director Carrie Lienemann is celebrating the organization’s staff at its seven 21st Century Community Learning Centers. “Twenty-two years ago, before I worked here, people had a vision and there were 21st Century federal grants that had become available to start after school programs. Nobody really knew what that was and so we started with a little grant. We were in four elementary schools and we have just grown since then,” Lienemann told KNOP. Kids Klub currently works with 32 community partners to offer engaging activities that focus on education, fitness, and nutrition.