Weekly Media Roundup: August 27, 2025

More Than 2,000 Austin-Area Kids Will Get Free or Low-Cost After-School Care This Year, KUT News (Texas)

Thanks to funding from a county tax rate increase passed in 2024, nearly 30 Austin, Texas-area schools will offer free or low-cost afterschool programs this year, benefiting more than 2,000 pre-K and elementary students. Community leaders say the new funding is welcome amidst ongoing threats to federal funding for afterschool. Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion told KUT News: “What we are trying to prove today is we understand that the only way we get the community we deserve is if we build it together.”

After-School Program Works to Keep Over-the-Rhine Kids Safe Amid Rising Crime, WCPO (Ohio)

In response to a significant increase in local crime, Wesley Chapel Mission hopes to expand its afterschool program beyond the 100 students it currently serves in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Compared to last year, reported crimes have increased by 52% percent and property crimes have increased by 51 percent in Over-the-Rhine. Amauri Hogan, a teenager who has attended the afterschool program the past six years, appreciates that Wesley Chapel Mission provides a safe and enriching space for students after school, especially after losing two community members to gun violence this summer. “After school, we didn’t really have much to do, and nothing really productive goes on,” Hogan told WCPO. “I thought about [the gun violence] for a couple of weeks because it could’ve happened to anyone.”

L.A. County Parks Reboots Free After-School Program with New Activities and 59 Locations, KTLA (California)

This fall, students between the ages of seven and 17 will explore hands-on ESTEAM (environment, science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities at 59 Every Body Plays afterschool programs in Los Angeles County. “Our revitalized Every Body Plays program offers safe, engaging afterschool options that support working families while giving kids and youth fun and enriching experiences that spark creativity, build confidence, and inspire growth—inside and out,” Norma E. García-González, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, told KTLA. The free afterschool programs include homework assistance, healthy snacks, cultural events, movies in the park and much more.

Boys and Girls Club of Charlotte Area Talks Student Mental Health Ahead of New Year, WBTV 3 (North Carolina)

This week, the Boy & Girls Club of the Greater Charlotte Region distributed 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to middle schoolers at a school orientation. Club leaders also helped students sign up for six new after-school programs at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The new programs feature the Club’s Kindness is Free initiative, which teaches students respect and compassion and helps them express their emotions in healthy ways. “There’s science that shows when you’re kind to someone, it not only makes them feel good, but it also makes you feel good,” Chief Kindness Strategist Scott Ehlers told WBTV 3.