America is turning the Lights On for Afterschool today!

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America is turning the Lights On for Afterschool today!

By Charlotte Steinecke Posted: Oct 22, 2020

Adapted from a recent press release.

Sorting donated food and disinfecting donated toys. Virtual STEM fairs and art contests. A car caravan to a State Capitol. Those are among the many activities that students, parents, educators, lawmakers, business and faith leaders, community members and others are joining today for the 21st annual Lights On Afterschool.

Several U.S. Senators including Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Jon Tester (Mont.), as well as Congressman David Cicilline (RI) and scores of lieutenant governors, mayors, state legislators, and other leaders are joining the thousands of events taking place across the nation. Many are virtual this year.

The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool to underscore the need to invest in afterschool programs, which in normal times provide help with homework; mentors; art, dance and music; healthy snacks and meals; computer programming; opportunities to think critically, collaborate and communicate with peers and adults; job and college readiness; sports and fitness activities; robotics; and opportunities for hands-on, team-based learning. During the pandemic, programs have stepped up to provide virtual educational activities, deliver meals and enrichment kits, help families bridge the digital divide, check in with children to ensure their social and emotional needs are being met, connect families to social services, care for the children of essential workers and first responders, and much more.

Nickelodeon and the National Urban League have teamed up with the Afterschool Alliance for a national Lights On Afterschool Youth Town Hall this evening. Youth leaders will share their afterschool experiences and discuss what youth need to thrive and what leaders can do to help all youth reach their potential. National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (RI), and Nickelodeon’s Darci Lynne, America’s Got Talent winner, will be special guests. Tomorrow, Friday, October 23, the Million Girls Moonshot and NASA will provide afterschool youth with an out-of-this world Lights On experience when students speak live to astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli about her journey to becoming an astronaut and the Artemis mission to land on the moon.

A large majority of afterschool programs that are open this fall report facing significant barriers as they strain to meet the needs of the students and families they have long supported, according to national surveys of parents and afterschool providers conducted by Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance and released in September. They find that programs and parents are challenged by virtual learning and evolving school schedules; programs are limited by budgets inadequate to address new safety protocols and students’ emerging needs; and students from low-income families are now much less likely than others to have access to out-of-school-time programs.

Tuesday night, the Empire State Building was lit in yellow and blue for Lights On Afterschool. Other landmarks being lit for afterschool this week include Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the Indianapolis Power & Light Building, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana, the Branson Ferris Wheel in Missouri, the State Capitol in Pennsylvania, the Governor M. Cuomo Bridge in New York, and the Pawtucket Bridge in Rhode Island.

On October 2, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan resolution S. Res. 731, which calls for recognition of Lights On Afterschool. The lead sponsors of the resolution, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Tina Smith (Minn.), recognized the outstanding contributions afterschool programs have made this summer and school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Lights On Afterschool resolution was co-sponsored by Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Pat Roberts (Kansas), Tim Kaine (Va.), Elizabeth Warner (Mass.), and Bob Casey (Pa.).

For the first time, Lights On Afterschool is taking place in South Africa this year with a nationwide campaign to celebrate afterschool programs.

A list of local Lights On Afterschool events is here. To find other events in your area, see this map.

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