Archives:

Select:

Weekly Media Roundup: November 1, 2023

READ FULL STORY

Weekly Media Roundup: November 1, 2023

Battle Creek Students Display Importance of Afterschool Programs with 'Lights On' March, Battle Creek Enquirer (Michigan)

For Lights On Afterschool, students of all ages marched through Battle Creek, Michigan with hand-drawn signs calling for “afterschool for all.” Michigan State Representative Jim Haadsma joined the rally and celebration, which was organized by Battle Creek Public Schools’ 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program. More than 300 students participate in the program, which offers mentors, robotics, homework help, chess, nutrition classes and more. “(21st Century) gives students a voice,” Freddie McGee, director of extended learning programs for Battle Creek Public Schools, told the Battle Creek Enquirer. “It gives them a chance to be with other students, with other adults, getting academics and getting enrichment and most importantly, building lifelong relationships. That is what it's all about.”

'Lights On Afterschool' Celebrates After School Programming Across the Bay Area, KTVU (California)

At Bay Area Community Resources (BACR)’s Lights On Afterschool celebrations last week, middle schoolers competed against their teachers in volleyball and elementary schoolers held a fashion show. BACR’s free afterschool programs provide art, sports, dance and more. California lawmakers recently invested $4 billion in afterschool programs, and California State Assembly member Mia Bonta attended the volleyball match to highlight the importance of afterschool. Eighth grader Allyson Del Rio Vega told KTVU that in the afterschool program, “I can try something new that I've never tried before, and I can make more new friends.”

Inflation, Staff Shortages Mean Fewer Kids Are Participating in After-School Meal Programs, Marketplace

For some students, the meals served at afterschool programs are essential. However, fewer students are being served dinner after school, according to a recent report from the Food Research & Action Center. Between 2021 and 2022, afterschool meals fell by nearly one-fourth, the largest decline since the meal program’s creation over a decade ago. The decline is attributed to both staffing shortages and inflation. “I think having a meal after school before they have their homework, and having the time to eat that meal, impacts their mood,” Walter Campbell, Charleston County School District’s Executive Director of Nutrition Services told Marketplace. The requirement that 50 percent of a school’s students need to qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch adds an additional barrier for schools to participate in the afterschool meals program.

Jennings Recreation Center Reopens After Months of Staffing Shortages, Fox 55 (Indiana)

After being closed for two months due to staffing shortages, the Jennings Recreation Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana has reopened its afterschool program. The center relied on college students to staff its summer program but had difficulty finding replacements once the students returned to school. Staff members from other departments stepped in to help reopen the afterschool program after community members voiced their support and reliance on the program to Parks and Recreation Director Steve McDaniel. “We all agreed that it’s best for the kids, it’s best for the community, and we’re able to do it,” McDaniel told Fox 55, “...I keep pushing for [more] staff.”

Weekly Media Roundup: October 25, 2023

Iberville Coalition Launches Baton Rouge Youth Coalition Satellite Campus, Plaquemine Post South (Louisiana) In September, the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC) partnered with Dow Louisiana, the Iberville Parish School Board (IPSB), and the YMCA to open its first satellite campus at the Dow...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/25/23

Weekly Media Roundup: October 18, 2023

Participation in Boston Summer Learning Programs Reached All-Time High This Year, WBUR (Massachusetts) This past summer, nearly one in four Boston youths between the ages of five and 14 participated in the city’s educational summer programs and many of the programs were provided at no...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/18/23

Weekly Media Roundup: October 11, 2023

Monte Vista Gets AT&T Support for After-School Learning Lab, Alamosa Citizen (Colorado) Thanks to a $35,000 AT&T Foundation grant, the Monte Vista Kids Connection afterschool program in San Luis Valley, Colorado is purchasing much needed laptops and software for students attending the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/11/23

Weekly Media Roundup: October 4, 2023

N.Y. Afterschool Programs Work to Support Academic, Emotional Needs, Spectrum News 1 (New York) Afterschool programs across New York State are helping students catch up on academics while addressing their emotional needs. Rural communities tend to have fewer after school options because many are...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/04/23

Weekly Media Roundup: September 27, 2023

After-School Program Helping Kids ‘Kick’ Off Their Future, WKBN-TV (Ohio) The Concept Young Scholars Program at the Horizon Science Academy in Youngstown, Ohio, which helps students with homework and focuses on building confidence, advancing volunteerism, and overcoming academic...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/27/23

Weekly Media Roundup: September 20, 2023

Boys & Girls Club Wausau Offering After School Programs to Prepare Students for Future, WSAW-TV (Wisconsin) Career exploration and workforce development is a major focus of the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area’s afterschool program in Wisconsin. Students can apply and interview...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/20/23

Weekly Media Roundup: September 13, 2023

Afterschool Program Helps Madison Students Breathe for Change, Wisconsin State Journal (Wisconsin) At the Meadowood Neighborhood Center’s afterschool program in Madison, Wisconsin, students learn to reduce stress by controlling their breathing, practicing yoga, reading books to therapy...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/13/23

Weekly Media Roundup: September 6, 2023

Skateboarding, Cooking, Ceramics: After School Programs at Monterey Trail Help Students Find Hobbies, CBS Sacramento (California) At the ASSETs (After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens) program at Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove, California, more than 200 teens access tutoring...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/06/23

Weekly Media Roundup: August 30, 2023

Oldest Home in Spartanburg Gets $200K for Transformation in an After-School Program, WSPA (South Carolina) Built in the late 1700s, the Seay House in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is undergoing a major renovation this fall and will reopen as the Brown Girls Read afterschool program early next...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/30/23

Weekly Media Roundup: August 16, 2023

4-H Can Help Find That Spark, Richmond Register (Kentucky) “In a world full of talents, interests and qualities, everyone has a unique inner fire that gives them joy, purpose, and direction. 4-H calls these ‘sparks,’ representing passion, energy and self-identity, not just...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/16/23