Weekly Media Roundup: December 20, 2023

Numerous Metro Detroit Before- and After-School Programs to Receive Portion of $50M MiLEAP Grant, WXYZ (Michigan)

Thanks to $50 million in grants from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), 67,000 Michigan students will be able to attend before-school, afterschool and summer programs this school year. “These programs help kids explore their interests, get extra academic support, and connect with their peers. They also make it easier for parents to work, knowing their kids are safe and cared for additional time outside of school hours. As a parent and as governor, I know that today’s investments will set more students up for success,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told WXYZ. The grant will support 780 program sites across the state.

Completely Kids Is Dedicated to Transforming the Lives of Youth, KETV (Nebraska)

At Completely Kids in Omaha, Nebraska, low-income families are participating in adult education classes, mental health services, employment opportunities, and afterschool programs. “Our afterschool program really is enriched in what they're learning during the school day. So whatever they're working on, we have fun activities after school that are reinforcing those concepts,” Lacey Locklear, Completely Kids’ chief development officer, told KETV. Working in partnership with Omaha Public Schools, Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic School and local homeless shelters, Completely Kids provides afterschool and summer programs to 2,000 children each year.

OnBikes Delivers Free Bicycles to More than 150 Children in After-School Programs in Tampa, WFTS-TV (Florida)

Last week, Tampa, Florida Mayor Jane Castor joined representatives from OnBikes, a nonprofit, on a 50-foot parade float that traveled between multiple Tampa Parks and Recreation Afterschool Program sites to deliver free bicycles to students. Sponsors for the event included MicroLumen, a local manufacturing company, and Tampa General Hospital. More than 150 children received bicycles. “OnBikes really defines what's great about Tampa. They have companies and individuals and businesses that volunteer their time putting together, literally, thousands of bikes and then they give them out at events like this," Mayor Castor told WFTS-TV.

Afterschool Program Engages Students With ‘Out-of-the-Box’ Activities, Arts, Community Engagement, Calaveras Enterprises (California)

Students in the Vallecito Unified School District’s EdVenture Time afterschool program in Avery, California take part in unique hands-on activities and field trips that combine art, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), career exploration, life skills and more. The free program is funded by California’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. On one recent afternoon, students visited the library to make 3D paper snowflakes, learn about the structure of snowflakes, and view 19th century microscopic snowflake photographs. The day before, they visited a local post office. “We went behind the scenes!” second-grader Tai Bonilla-Chin told the Calaveras Enterprise. “There was a bunch of mail they had to deliver. There’s so many boxes…. If you had to organize them, you’d be like, ‘Please help me, Mother! There’s too [much] stuff in there!’”