Join the Afterschool Alliance and afterschool programs across the country in rallying for afterschool programs.  More than 7,500 communities, and 1 million Americans celebrate Lights On Afterschool every year! 

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for every afterschool advocate to participate.  Lights On Afterschool celebrations don’t have to be elaborate—there are plenty of simple, creative ways to showcase the important opportunities available to kids after school.  Lights On Afterschoolevents, like afterschool programs, come in all shapes and sizes, from stadium rallies and town parades to open houses and program tours.  Celebrate in a manner that works best for your program and community.  Our Event Planning Kit provides ideas and resources to help you plan a celebration that works best for your program and your community.  Browse our resources and basic tips using the navigation bar to the right, or download the full PDF for more detailed guidance. 

To get started, we recommend:

1. Ask yourself Who, What, When & Where to start thinking about the goal of your event and what it might look like. 
2. Look over the Timeline/Checklist  for an overall sense of your planning timeframe, how to manage your event and get the most out of it. 
3. Move on to our Event Ideas area to get your creative juices flowing.  

Lights On Afterschool was created to be used by you to promote your program and efforts, so please feel free to use and adapt anything here to suit your needs.  Our goal is simply to make it easier for you to participate, so that as many communities as possible help tell the afterschool story.  The more events we have, the stronger our collective voice.

Use Lights On Afterschool to:

• Get parents, community leaders and elected officials, kids, members of the press, potential funders, volunteers and others excited about afterschool.
• Showcase the achievements of your program and your students. Highlight your local partners and invite them to participate.
• Convey your message about afterschool - celebrate your afterschool accomplishments, and call for support to ensure that afterschool programs in your community and across the country thrive. Every child should have access to afterschool!