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Weekly Media Roundup: September 18, 2024

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Weekly Media Roundup: September 18, 2024

In Visit to Detroit, Usher Praises Boys & Girls Club After-School Programs, Detroit Free Press (Michigan)

Last week, R&B artist Usher held “Usher’s Club Takeover” at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan in Detroit. At the two-day event, more than 1,500 students took part in an interactive career fair showcasing jobs in music, health care, technology, fashion and more. Usher also announced his role as honorary chair of his year’s Lights On Afterschool rally and shared that he developed his passion for music as a child attending the Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga. “You may not know what it is that you want to do with your life. But it's a beautiful thing to come to the Boys & Girls Club and be influenced in a way that you could create a career, create a business and be a contributor to your community, as well as creative in any industry,” Usher told students.

Investing in Our Children’s Future: The Crucial Role of After-School Programs, BK Reader (New York)

In a recent guest column in the BK Reader, Crown Heights resident Khari Edwards describes the challenges he faced as a ‘latchkey kid’ without afterschool supervision and the positive impact quality afterschool programs had in his children’s lives. He notes the need to protect and expand access to afterschool programs for generations to come, particularly in the wake of recent funding cuts and program closures throughout New York City. “These programs are more than just a place for children to go after school—they are critical in shaping their futures, providing them with the structure, safety and opportunities they need to thrive,” Edwards writes. “It is our collective responsibility to advocate for the support and resources necessary to keep these programs alive and thriving.”

Families 'Desperately' Need After-School Care, But 30% of PBC Schools Have Waitlists. Why?, Palm Beach Post (Florida)

In Palm Beach County, Florida, 14,000 students attend the school district’s afterschool programs but a third of them have growing wait lists, primarily due to staffing shortages. “As we’ve come out of COVID, the trail of destruction that is left behind in increased costs and affordability in Palm Beach County has impacted the ability of childcare providers to recruit and retain qualified staff,” Kasha???? Kitts, program director at Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, told the Palm Beach Post. With few affordable options, many families have to rely on family members for help or leave their children home unsupervised.

Thrive After-School Program in Longview Begins Fundraising Push to Stabilize, Expand Operations, Longview News-Journal (Texas)

At Thrive Longview, an afterschool and summer program in Longview, Texas, middle school students participate in career readiness programs, life skills courses, physical and artistic activities, and therapy and yoga sessions. As part of a fundraising drive to raise $300,000, Thrive Longview is reaching out to local area businesses, asking for financial support to help grow its job training and workforce program for youth. “We talked about whether it was fair for us and our staff to continue with this yo-yo effect of constant fundraising to survive,” Thrive’s founder, Clent Holmes, told Longview News-Journal. “Our existence beyond 2024 hinges on pulling this off.” Both Longview ISD and Komatsu Mining have pledged their support to the program.

Weekly Media Roundup: October 9, 2024

What Do Teens Do After School? Utica Hoping They'll Head to Parkway Recreation Center, Utica Observer Dispatch (New York) This fall, Parkway Recreation Center in Utica, New York will open a free afterschool program for teenagers, providing them a safe space to engage in leadership...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/09/24

Weekly Media Roundup: October 2, 2024

Minneapolis, St. Paul Educators Rally as Pandemic-Era Funding for Arts, After-School Programs Dries Up, WCCO-TV (Minnesota) As federal COVID relief funding winds down, parents, educators and lawmakers rallied at Adams Immersion Elementary School in St. Paul to call on lawmakers to prevent...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      10/02/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

Beaufort County Innovative Afterschool Program Lands $2.3M Grant from Coastal Community Foundation, Post and Courier (South Carolina) Thanks to a $2.3 million Catalyst Grant, the largest ever awarded by the Coastal Community Foundation, the UNITED (Uniting Neighbors for Instructional...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/25/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 18, 2024

In Visit to Detroit, Usher Praises Boys & Girls Club After-School Programs, Detroit Free Press (Michigan) Last week, R&B artist Usher held “Usher’s Club Takeover” at the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan in Detroit. At the two-day event, more than 1,500...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 11, 2024

Philadelphia Program Allows Students to Tap into Healing Power of Music, WHYY (Pennsylvania) Students in afterschool programs across Philadelphia are expressing themselves and processing difficult emotions through songwriting thanks to Beyond The Bars, a local nonprofit. Matt Kerr founded the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/11/24

Weekly Media Roundup: September 4, 2024

Edwardsburg Launches Before and After School Care Program on First Day of Classes, WNDU (Michigan) Camp Fire River Bend is opening a new before-school and afterschool program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Edwardsburg, Michigan, and it already has a waitlist....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      09/04/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 28, 2024

Anonymous Donor Saves Troy After-School Program, News 10 (New York) For 45 years, the Ark has provided a safe, enriching afterschool program for students in Troy, New York. But when the program lost a grant that covered 90 percent of its budget, Executive Director Penny Holmes worried it would...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/28/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 21, 2024

Madison Out-of-School Time (MOST) to Recognize Outstanding Youth Workers for Their Dedication and Creativity Supporting Youth, Madison 365 (Wisconsin) Next week, Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will honor 11 afterschool staff members as Madison-area Out-of-School Time (MOST)...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/21/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 14, 2024

Virginia Designates Additional Aid for At-Risk Students, Virginia Mercury (Virginia) Beginning this fall, Virginia schools will have an additional $180 million per year to support at-risk students. A 2023 study found that Virginia provided less state funding for at-risk students than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 7, 2024

Chicago Touts After-School Program Growth But Cuts Funding, Chalkbeat Weeks before the school year begins, many Chicago afterschool programs are facing dramatic funding cuts as federal COVID funds wind down and Chicago Public Schools is allocating fewer resources to out-of-school time programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/07/24