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Weekly Media Roundup: December 16, 2020

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Weekly Media Roundup: December 16, 2020

Column: Hawaii Behind on Afterschool Programs, Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Hawaii)

Although data from the household survey America After 3 PM showed Hawaii was a national leader in afterschool participation in 2009, the 2020 America After 3 PM report shows unmet demand for afterschool has increased dramatically in the state since then. In a recent guest column for the Honolulu-Star Advertiser, Hawai’i Afterschool Alliance Program Director Jennifer Masutani noted that barriers to afterschool participation including cost, availability and lack of transportation are hurting children and families. The pandemic has created additional challenges and put many programs in danger of closing. “We need to recognize that afterschool programs can help students catch up and keep up from COVID-19,” Masutani wrote. “To prevent thousands of afterschool spots from disappearing, state leaders need to act now. Specifically, the state needs to grant more flexibility so we can strategically leverage federal funds already allocated to our afterschool programs.”

Why More Families Need ‘Afterschool’ Programs to Cope with Pressures of Pandemic, Deseret News (Utah)

Since the pandemic hit, afterschool programs have stepped up to meet the changing needs of their communities by serving as socially distanced sites for being schooled remotely, distributing meals, connecting families to resources, and more. At the same time, programs are facing increased operating costs and inadequate funding, putting three in five programs in danger of closing permanently or laying off staff, according to a new report from the Afterschool Alliance. Public funding is needed to close the gaps and ensure all families can access programs. “Unmet demand has never been higher,” Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant told the Deseret News.

After-School Program Prevails in Trying Times, Newport This Week (Rhode Island)

At the Team-FAME afterschool program in Newport, Rhode Island, students learn essential life skills including teamwork, conflict resolution and more through tennis practice, nutrition education, academic enrichment and mentorship. During the pandemic, the program has kept students engaged through creative activities such as online Pictionary parties, one-on-one tutoring on Zoom, and virtual tennis challenges. “To me, the most important tool in this program is the respect present in every interaction. This foundation will lead to healthy relationship building and to developing great future leaders for Newport,” volunteer Kathy Longson wrote in a letter to the editor for Newport This Week.

Connecting With NASA: Falcons Flyers Afterschool Program Selected for STEM Challenge, Williams-Grand Canyon News (Arizona)

Elementary and middle school students in the Falcon Flyers 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool program in Williams, Arizona are connecting with real NASA engineers and solving challenges using real mission data as part of the NASA STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Challenge. The initiative helps students explore STEM careers while practicing problem solving and collaboration. According to science teacher Trina Siegfried, students have already sorted themselves into committees to tackle the challenges. “They knew that each person would need to be responsible for something and then we would need to collaborate. My eighth graders are used to doing that in the lab. They’ve already started to own it, which I’m really proud of,” Siegfried told Williams-Grand Canyon News.

Weekly Media Roundup: February 26, 2025

Discover How the Leaps After School Program is Transforming Lives at Harrison Elementary, News Channel 9 (Tennessee) At Harrison Elementary’s Leaps After School Program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students are publishing a newspaper focusing on Black historical figures to be displayed...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/26/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 19, 2025

Durham Teens Fight for After-School Program Funding Amid Youth Gun Violence: 'My Safe Space,' ABC 11 (North Carolina) In Durham, North Carolina, teenagers rallied together to urge Durham City Council members to increase funding for afterschool programs, sharing how critical these...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/19/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 12, 2025

'He Invests His Own Money': After School Program Started by Pasco School Employee Still Going Strong, WFTS-TV (Florida) In the 1980s, Eugene Scott founded an afterschool program called This Is How We Do It to provide food, music, dance, mentorship and more to students in his Pasco County...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/12/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 5, 2025

Claysburg-Kimmel Touts New Programs for Students, Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania) Students at the Bulldog After-School Club in Claysburg, Pennsylvania are participating in new educational activities with a Beam mobile projector that transforms the center into an interactive visual playground. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/05/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 29, 2025

Afterschool Program Introduces West Columbia Students to Technology, The Facts (Texas) Students at West Columbia Elementary in Texas are taking part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities in the new Robocatters afterschool program, which already has a long...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/29/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 22, 2025

Another Year, Another Long Waitlist for BUSD After-School Program, Berkeleyside (California) Due to ongoing staffing shortages, more than 200 students are currently waitlisted for afterschool programs at Berkeley Unified School District. Parents in the district’s PTA Collaborative on...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/22/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 15, 2025

New 4-H Program Will Bring STEAM to Area Students, KNEB (Nebraska) Students in rural Expanding Learning Opportunity programs in Nebraska are exploring aerospace, electronics, engineering, robotics and more thanks to a partnership with 4-H. The Think Make Create Lab is a six-by-12 mobile trailer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/15/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 8, 2025

Parks and Recreation Secures Grant to Bring Physical Activity Education to Youth in Afterschool Program, WBIW (Indiana) More than 50 students in the Banneker Afterschool program in Bloomington, Indiana are taking part in fun physical activities this year led by Indiana University School of...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/08/25

Weekly Media Roundup: December 18, 2024

Mason City YMCA Teaching Social and Emotional Skills to Kids, News-Press Now (Iowa) Students in the Mason City YMCA afterschool program in Iowa practice communication, emotional regulation, empathy and more in twice-weekly social and emotional learning sessions, learning, for instance, to take...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: December 11, 2024

Usher Helps Cut Ribbon On New Content Studio at Metro Boys and Girls, WSB-TV (Georgia) This week, superstar Usher visited the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil a new content studio he donated featuring soundboards, mics, computers and other audio equipment. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/11/24