Afterschool Alliance

Tips on Writing Letters to the Editor

Often the easiest way to break into the opinion pages is with letters-to-the-editor. In many cases, letters are your best shot at getting published, if only because newspapers print more letters than op-eds each day. And letters-to-the-editor are widely read and well worth submitting.

Letters are the most appropriate vehicle if the newspaper publishes something that gives you the chance to respond - a news story, editorial, op-ed, cartoon, column or even another letter-to-the-editor. The response need not always be contradictory. Often you can get a letter published that amplifies a point brushed over in the original article.

Letters-to-the-editor pages differ from newspaper to newspaper in significant ways. You'll need to take a look at your own newspaper to get a feel for what they do and don't publish. Check for the word count of published letters, and see if they are always in direct response to something already published. (Some newspapers use their letters-to-the-editor space as a sort of community free-for-all; others see it as a dialogue about things the newspaper has published.)

Once you've determined your newspaper's general approach, look for the right opportunity. If your paper seems only to publish letters that respond to things they've published, read every story you see that relates in the slightest way to afterschool issues with that in mind. Look for issues that the story or opinion piece failed to fully explain, or got wrong. Consider who from among your allies should sign the letter - a program director, parent, community leader, etc. Then send a letter, addressed to "Letters-to-the-Editor," to the newspaper. Some papers take letters by fax, email or on their website; others do not. Check your newspaper's policy.

Finally, remember that whatever you're responding to is merely the occasion for your letter; it shouldn't limit what you have to say. So start your letter with a quick response to the article and then move on to make your points.

Good luck!

SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Letters-to-the-Editor
Rivertowne Enquirer
312 Elm Street
Rivertowne, OH 45202

To the Editor:

Just in time for the new school year, Stevens Middle School has answered the pleas of local families by providing an affordable, quality afterschool program for students in grades six to eight. The demand for supervised afterschool programs is great. More than 28 million school-age children have either their only parent or both parents working outside the home, and 14.3 million "latchkey children" go home after school each day to a house with no adult supervision, and without the opportunities to learn that afterschool programs can provide.

The juvenile crime rate triples between the hours of 3 PM and 8 PM, with violent crimes by juveniles peaking between 3 PM and 4 PM - the hour at the end of the school day. Why? In part because an increasing number of our children are unsupervised during these late afternoon hours, while parents are at work. What these children need is supervision that will keep them safe and out of trouble.

Afterschool programs provide that needed alternative, while helping children with their studies and providing a range of enrichment activities. Just For Kids provides three hours of supervised afterschool activities, including homework assistance, arts and crafts, and recreation. Rivertowne Student Success is proud to take a leadership role in the burgeoning afterschool movement, and excited about the chance to provide our children with a positive afternoon alternative to the streets.