Weekly Media Roundup: October 7, 2026

Afterschool Encore, West Jordan Journal (Utah)

At Majestic Elementary Arts Academy’s afterschool program in West Jordan, Utah, students explore their interests and discover new talents by learning to play musical instruments, trying new sports, earning Girl Scout badges, and creating art masterpieces. As part of the University Piano Outreach Program (U POP), graduate students from the University of Utah provide piano instruction, giving students the opportunity to develop their musical skills and confidence. “Our goals are to equalize education by giving kids those capacities academically, artistically and socially,” U POP Director Laura Strobell told the West Jordan Journal. “We believe it makes them better thinkers. It improves grades.”

Berkeley After-School Program Expands by Hundreds of Kids, But Staffing, Transport Remain a Problem, Berkeleyside.org (California)

Although Berkeley Unified School District’s LEARNS afterschool program grew from 1,7000 students last year to 2,200 this fall, 280 students remain on the waitlist. The district reorganized the program and added additional staff but continues to face challenges with hiring, staff turnover and transportation. “We’ve had a massive shift and this year has really been about building stronger systems,” Joya Balk, the district’s categorical and special projects director, told Berkeleyside. “We believe that we can serve all of our families, and it’s our goal to have universal aftercare in the district in three years.”

Kids STEAM After-School Program Celebrates 1 Year in Los Angeles, CBS News Los Angeles (California)

At TUMO’s free afterschool program in Los Angeles, teens explore game development, programming, 3-D modeling, robotics, animation, graphic design, music, filmmaking and generative AI through hands-on activities. Once a month, industry professionals lead workshops for students and share about career opportunities in their fields. The nonprofit is exploring opportunities for additional locations across the county. “Our students are able to go in-depth across multiple skills and come out of the experience with a lot of confidence, digital literacy and fluency across multiple ways of thinking,” TUMO Los Angeles CEO Sawyer Hescock told CBS News Los Angeles.

Alabama Launches STEM Seal of Approval Program for Out-of-School Programs and Events, Gulf Coast Media (Alabama)

On September 28, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced the state’s new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Council Seal of Approval initiative, designed to recognize out-of-school time STEM programs that align with best practices and demonstrate strong outcomes. The goal is to celebrate the contributions of afterschool and summer programs throughout the state while helping families identify quality STEM learning opportunities outside of the school day. “Alabama’s continued success depends on preparing our young people with the skills and experiences they need to pursue the opportunities of tomorrow,” Governor Ivey told Gulf Coast Media. “The STEM Seal of Approval will help Alabama families identify outstanding programs while recognizing the organizations inspiring students to explore, learn and build bright futures right here in our state.”