Weekly Media Roundup: June 17, 2026

Nashville Leaders Allocate $4 Million to Support Free After-School Programs for Kids, WSMV 4 (Tennessee)

This week, the Nashville Metropolitan Council voted to allot more than $4.4 million to help more students access quality out-of-school time programs. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell championed the new funding, which will support community organizations including Why We Can’t Wait, an afterschool and summer learning program offering leadership training, art, dance, science, reading and more. Why We Can’t Wait has served thousands of teens since it was founded in 2009. “Our goal is to make them productive citizens,” Why We Can’t Wait Founder Darrell Caldwell told WSMV 4. “We know the greatness is already there. We just nurture it and bring it to the top.”

New After-School Program Set to Launch Aug. 1 at Carver Recreation Center in Lexington Park, The Bay Net (Maryland)

With unanimous approval from the St. Mary’s County commissioners, the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maryland is opening an afterschool youth center at the Carver Recreation Center in Lexington Park, Maryland this August. The three-year lease agreement, with renewal options extending to 15 years, will enable to the Club to provide affordable afterschool programs for students ages six through 18 that include STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, homework assistance, arts, recreation, leadership development and career readiness programs. “We can’t wait to open,” Anna Hanzsche, COO of the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maryland, told The Bay Net. “I’ve talked to some of the schools in the community, and they’re all really excited too.” The afterschool program will include transportation from local schools.

Boys & Girls Club of Ozark Offers Enriching Summer Programs, Dothan Eagle (Alabama)

This summer, the Boys & Girls Club of Ozark-Southeast Alabama will provide an eight-week summer program that combines engaging activities with literacy and math enrichment, helping students avoid summer learning loss while providing affordable childcare for working families. Serving as many as 275 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, the program includes field trips, financial literacy, swim lessons, workforce development, music production, gardening, woodworking and much more. “Kids can arrive as early as 7:30 AM, and we stay open until 6 PM from Monday through Friday,” Jessica Moore, director of the Boys & Girls Club of Ozark-Southeast Alabama, told the Dothan Eagle. “Our long hours let parents go to work with time to run errands afterward. They can enjoy peace of mind knowing their kids are in a safe place during the day.”

Project Transformation of North Texas Brings Affordable Summer Curriculum, Opening New Doors for Learning and Growth, News Channel 6 (Texas)

For nine weeks this summer, students in Project Transformation of North Texas’ summer program will play fun reading and phonics games, connect with mentors from Midwestern State University, play sports, and make art. The free program is expanding to a second location this year to help meet the need for affordable summer programs in Texas, where three in five students are currently without access. “We are going to be eight years old this year, and what we’ve seen is almost 100 of our young adults who have served with us started in our program as kids. They came back when they were in college to serve as our mentors,” Executive Director Kristen James told News Channel 6.