Weekly Media Roundup: May 3, 2023

Rally at the Capitol for Funding Afterschool Programs, Fox 43 (Pennsylvania)

Afterschool providers, parents and advocates gathered on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg today to urge the state legislature to pass House Bill 795, which would provide state funding for afterschool programs. “Pennsylvania is only one in 18 states that [does] not have state funding [for afterschool] in its budget, so that’s why it’s really important that this legislation is supported and we get our advocacy out there,” Contrell Armor, director of the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network, told Fox 43.  The event included remarks from Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis as well as several state representatives, advocates, educators and youth.

Livingston’s Budding Artists: Students Learn to Create Art After School, Cody Enterprise (Wyoming)

With guidance from local artist Brian Timmer, students attending Livingston School’s afterschool program are creating a large mural to welcome visitors to their school in Cody, Wyoming. Timmer and his wife Betsy, also an artist, worked with the elementary school students to brainstorm ideas for the landscape painting while also teaching them the fundamentals of art and color design. “I love it because it helps me calm down and is really nice doing this and drawing,” second-grader Madeline Whisenhunt told Cody Enterprise. “I’ve learned some new things that were a challenge.”

After-School Boys’ Program Strives to Mold Boys Into Well-Rounded People: Cleveland’s Promise, Cleveland.com (Ohio)

At Almira Elementary School’s afterschool program in Cleveland, Ohio, male students are exploring potential careers, learning life skills and taking part in social and emotional learning in a safe, nurturing environment. The boys’ club is specifically designed for young boys from Cleveland’s underserved neighborhoods to help them pursue their dreams. “We have a job to teach the next generation of youth, and my goal is to send them better than they came,” Eric Beal, program coordinator and instructional aide at the program, told Cleveland.com. “And you don’t know what moment, what word really changes a person. But I just hope that I say something that changes them.”

Expanding After-School, Summer Learning, Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)

In a recent guest column in the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales and New Mexico Out-of-School Time Network Executive Director May Sagbakken highlight the $20 million the state appropriated for afterschool and summer learning programs this year. Twenty thousand children will benefit from the state’s investment. “The new funding comes at a critical time. Far too many of our children and youth are struggling today with serious issues impacting their mental health, learning and futures,” Sagbakken and Morales write. “The positive outcomes of quality after-school and summer learning programs are undeniable…. Still, too many children, especially in rural in New Mexico, have been left out for too long.”