Weekly Media Roundup: June 7, 2023

Summer Break is Broken for Many Rural Tennessee Kids, Public News Service

Many students in rural communities in Tennessee face significant barriers to accessing robust summer learning opportunities, including poverty, lack of transportation and lack of available programming. Save the Children aims to “make summer fair” by partnering with local school districts to create comprehensive, accessible programs that include two meals and a snack each day. “We create fun and inviting summer camps, like kids across the country might have the opportunity to go to, that focus on reading and math,” Shane Garver, head of program design and impact, told Public News Service. “But also focus on STEM things like Lego robotics, focus on enrichment activities and things that can really stretch and inspire children.” Save the Children also operates a ‘mobile unit’ that delivers nutritious summer meals directly to students’ communities.

Free summer camp in Wilson is feeding hundreds of students daily, EdNC (North Carolina)

In Wilson, North Carolina, The SPOT afterschool and summer programs not only focus on academic and social-emotional learning, but also provide nutritious snacks and meals to families struggling with food insecurity. “When you’re hungry, you’re not thinking about anything else. I always tell people, you have to meet people where they’re at. You have to meet kids where they’re at and if they’re hungry, they’re not thinking about exercising,” The SPOT Executive Director Tracy Pittman told EdNC. “They’re not thinking about academics. They’re not thinking about socializing. They’re thinking about, you know, my stomach’s hungry, and I don’t know when my next real meal is.” This summer, The SPOT will offer healthy meals to its participants at its free summer program and has invited anyone under 17 to join them for meals.

As Missoula afterschool program ends, other orgs step up, Missoulian (Montana)

After learning that the Western Montana Mental Health Center could no longer fund its Flagship afterschool program, the Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) quickly reached out to their community partners to help ensure free afterschool and summer programs would be available to students. “As part of MCPS’ strategic plan, we have a community schools focus that calls for strong partnerships with our local organizations, and they have really stepped in to fill a lot of those summer programming gaps,” Tyler Christensen, communications specialist with Missoula County Public Schools, told the Missoulian. “And we are continuing to work with them to provide afterschool programming and child-enrichment opportunities in the next school year.” Programs providing support include the Missoula Parks and Recreation Department, the Boys & Girls Club of Missoula County, the Missoula Family YMCA and the Camp Fire afterschool program.

What Do Students Want After School? Mental Health Help, Good Food and a Place to Stay, Los Angeles Times (California)

At a kickoff event for ExpandLA, a new effort in Los Angeles to ensure all students can access high-quality afterschool programs, approximately 200 afterschool providers, students, educators, community groups and advocates gathered at the Omni Hotel downtown to discuss the importance of out-of-school-time programs in their lives and communities. ExpandLA also shared the results of a survey that shows Los Angeles students want quality food and mental health support at their afterschool programs. The coalition is calling on lawmakers to ensure Los Angeles gets access to the $4 billion in new statewide funds for afterschool. “It also will require accountability,” Lou Calanche, an afterschool provider and the head of ExpandLA, told the Los Angeles Times. “What we worry about is that if we’re not showing impact then maybe the next administration would move that money out as some other priority comes up.”