Lights On Afterschool provides a wonderful opportunity to generate positive news coverage of your afterschool program and to remind policy makers and community members of the need to provide sufficient funding to meet the growing demand for the afterschool programs that serve children and families. Reporters seek out stories that affect their community, and they will want to tell readers, viewers and listeners about threats to afterschool programs. So plan your Lights On Afterschool activities with the media in mind. Our tools and tips are designed to help make your event more newsworthy and help you reach more community members with your messages via the media.  All of the media to-do's listed here are built into our Event Planning Timeline/Checklist to remind you when you need to reach out to media. 

Musts for Media at Your Event:  Your must-do checklist of considerations if you plan to attract media

Sample Media Materials: adapt our sample materials and learn how to use these media basics

• Calendar Announcement
• Media Alert
• News Release 
• Public Service Announcement (PSA) for radio stations to promote your event

Advanced Media Outreach - take your media outreach to the next level with these ideas and activities

 Social media tips for your Lights On Afterschool event