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Weekly Media Roundup: October 13, 2021

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Weekly Media Roundup: October 13, 2021

On October 28, Gwinnett County, Georgia, will celebrate Lights On Afterschool with an event titled “Walk Among the Stars.” At the Hollywood-themed event, children and their families will take part in crafts, games, and science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) activities facilitated by more than 12 out-of-school time providers and community partners. Tina Fleming, director of the Gwinnett County Department of Community Services and an Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Ambassador, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Walk Among the Stars “is a powerful reminder that afterschool programs offer important support to children and families. Unfortunately, there are not always enough accessible afterschool programs, and too many kids are home alone in the afternoons, where they can be exposed to at-risk behaviors. Afterschool programs can be life-changing for many of these children.” 

Thanks to a $450,000 federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, Rantoul City Schools (RCS) in Rantoul, Illinois, is expanding its afterschool program to serve students at five elementary schools instead of the current two. The new expanded program, ExPLORES (Experimental Playing and Learning of Rantoul Elementary Students), will feature hands-on STEAM activities, virtual field trips, and more.  “I think the biggest thing is making it different from what happens during the school day, getting students exposed to things that maybe they normally wouldn’t,” RCS Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Frerichs told WCIA-TV.  “We’re hoping to do things like cooking classes and even just silly things like crocheting. We’re hoping that by doing that, it’ll really draw students to come and participate on a regular basis.” 

To help prevent youth violence, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Winston Lake Family YMCA are working together to provide an afterschool program that focuses on the whole family. The afterschool program will provide tutoring, mentoring programs and meals for students as well as GED and job skills programs for parents. “There is a plethora of things that are cranking up and starting up over there and I think those are going to be game changers,” Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough told WFDD. 

Through a unique partnership, Metro Drug Coalition of Knoxville, Tennessee is teaming up with local afterschool programs to warn preteens and teens about the dangers of smoking and vaping. “A huge part of prevention is filling in… the gaps in the time when they are outside of the classroom,” Asheton Casey, an instructor with Metro Drug Coalition, explained to WATE-TV. Metro Drug Coalition plans to introduce the four-part prevention program to 15 afterschool programs this year.  

Weekly Media Roundup: March 20, 2024

Matthew McConaughey and ASU Are Helping an Arizona School District. Here's How, Arizona Republic (Arizona) Matthew McConaughey and Arizona State University (ASU) have teamed up to help a Phoenix-area school district apply for federal afterschool funding included in the Bipartisan Safer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 13, 2024

English Learners Stopped Coming to Class During the Pandemic. One Group is Tackling the Problem By Helping Their Parents, Hechinger Report In North Carolina, nearly one third of English language learning students were chronically absent last year, a rate significantly higher than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/13/24

Weekly Media Roundup: March 6, 2024

Charlotte Afterschool Program Aims to Break Cycle of Youth Crime and Violence, WBTV (North Carolina) In response to the 33 percent rise in juvenile gun violence in Charlotte, North Carolina, county leaders presented The Way Forward plan to city council members this week. The plan includes...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      03/06/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 28, 2024

Program Designed to Boost Reading Rates in NW Tallahassee is Reaching More Students, WTXL (Florida) At Springwood Elementary School’s afterschool program in Tallahassee, Florida, students are paired with volunteers from United Way’s ReadingPals program, working together to improve...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 21, 2024

Missoula After-School Program for BIPOC Youth Creating Next Generation of Leaders, KTVQ-TV (Montana) At the Association for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Youth afterschool program in Missoula, Montana, students of color build community, take part in mindfulness activities, and develop...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 14, 2024

Viewpoint: Invest in Out-of-School Programs to Help Solve State’s Educational Challenges, South Bend Tribune (Indiana) Indiana lawmakers are considering continuing the state’s pandemic-era investments in out-of-school time learning, including afterschool and summer learning programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: February 7, 2024

Rangers Star Welcomes Kids to the Ice in After School Program, NBC4 (New York) With help from a donation from the Garden of Dreams Foundation, 50 students in the WHEDco (Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation) afterschool program in the South Bronx are lacing up skates and...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 31, 2024

Advocates of Afterschool Opportunities Rally in Albany for $119M Funding Boost, Spectrum News 1 (New York) On Tuesday, afterschool leaders, students, and lawmakers gathered in Albany, New York to press for an additional $119 million in state funding to ensure universal access to afterschool. At...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 24, 2024

'Articulate Their Pain': Preventing Teen Suicide Through the Power of Music, Spectrum News 1 (North Carolina) DDAAT-App, a mental health nonprofit with an afterschool program in Charlotte, North Carolina, is partnering with The Bridge, a music studio, to give students access to recording...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: January 17, 2024

Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program to be Tested in Oklahoma, General Aviation News (Oklahoma) Sixth and 7th graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma are exploring careers in aerospace and aeronautics by building planes, flying drones, and participating in other hands-on projects thanks to a...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/17/24