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Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

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Weekly Media Roundup: September 25, 2024

Beaufort County Innovative Afterschool Program Lands $2.3M Grant from Coastal Community Foundation, Post and Courier (South Carolina)

Thanks to a $2.3 million Catalyst Grant, the largest ever awarded by the Coastal Community Foundation, the UNITED (Uniting Neighbors for Instructional Effectiveness and Trust in Education) program will continue to provide afterschool programs to pre-k through 12th grade students in the Beaufort County school district in South Carolina. The program, begun in 2022 with support from federal COVID emergency funds, collaborates with faith-based and nonprofit organizations, as well as retired teachers, to provide afterschool and summer learning programs to at-risk students. “What we found was that, by launching that program, the community got so involved with it,” Frank Rodriguez, superintendent of Beaufort County Public Schools, told the Post and Courier. “It galvanized an effort around helping students beyond the initial goal of academic recovery.”

Denzel Washington Presents Jacksonville Teen National Boys & Girls Clubs Honor, The Florida Times-Union (Florida)

When Nico Flowers joined the afterschool program at the Ed White High School Boys & Girls Teen Center in Jacksonville, Florida, he was struggling with the impacts of domestic violence, housing insecurity and alcoholism in his family. During his four years at the Club, he connected with a local barber who served as a mentor to him, and eventually stepped into student leadership, organizing community projects, tutoring younger students and more. Flowers, now a political science student at Florida State University, was presented the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year award by actor Denzel Washington, who is also a Club alumnus. Accepting the award, Flowers described his afterschool program as “family” and told other youth, “Trust God and believe in yourself and the people who believe in you. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to and your past does not define who you are — the future is yours.”

Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton Helps Youth in Community, Fullerton Observer (California)

For the past 70 years, the Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton in California has provided engaging activities for students afterschool, including sports, academic support, arts and crafts, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, music and math) activities. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do in Fullerton without the general public supporting us and the kids we serve. We don’t turn any kid away at the club. It is a blessing to see that this organization has been here for over 70 years serving the youth,” Brett Ackerman, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton, told the Fullerton Observer. The club relies on two fundraisers a year, an annual fall auction and summer golf tournament, to support its many programs.

Hochul Allocates $3M for After-School Programs in New York City After Funding Crisis, Brooklyn Paper (New York)

Earlier this year, New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services altered the eligibility criteria for afterschool funding, causing many programs to lose funds and forcing some to close their doors entirely. After parents, students, educators and lawmakers advocated for relief, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $3 million investment from a state discretionary fund to help afterschool programs keep their doors open. “This is great news,” John Ricottone, vice president of Community Education Council 20, told the Brooklyn Paper. “I’m glad we fought the good fight. I’m proud of working with each and everyone. Our children need to be safe at all times, and after-school care assisting the children with homework, recreation and having children socialize is the best way.”

Weekly Media Roundup: August 14, 2024

Virginia Designates Additional Aid for At-Risk Students, Virginia Mercury (Virginia) Beginning this fall, Virginia schools will have an additional $180 million per year to support at-risk students. A 2023 study found that Virginia provided less state funding for at-risk students than the...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/14/24

Weekly Media Roundup: August 7, 2024

Chicago Touts After-School Program Growth But Cuts Funding, Chalkbeat Weeks before the school year begins, many Chicago afterschool programs are facing dramatic funding cuts as federal COVID funds wind down and Chicago Public Schools is allocating fewer resources to out-of-school time programs....

BY: Magen Eissenstat      08/07/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 31, 2024

A North Texas School District is Offering a Free Dinner Program for Students This Year, WFAA (Texas) This fall, Fort Worth Independent School District is partnering with Sodexo to provide free dinners at its afterschool enrichment programs. “We are excited about the opportunities this...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/31/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 24, 2024

Davis Promotes Afterschool Programs in McKeesport Visit, The Mon Valley Independent (Pennsylvania) To celebrate Pennsylvania’s new BOOST (Building Opportunity through Out of School Time) initiative, which includes $11.5 million for afterschool, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis visited...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/24/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 17, 2024

The Dog Days of Summer Drag. Summer Learning Programs Can Help, The Journal (Colorado) To celebrate National Summer Learning Week, 360 students across nine Colorado counties wrote postcards to their state lawmakers about why they love their summer learning programs. “I think summer camp is...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/17/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 10, 2024

Education Matters: Central Valley Schools Are Expanding Students’ Learning Experiences,Your Central Valley (California) Thanks to a series of partnerships with county offices and Community Youth Ministries, students in the Selma Unified and Kings Canyon Unified School Districts in Fresno,...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/10/24

Weekly Media Roundup: July 3, 2024

Inside a Summer Learning Camp With an Uncertain Future After ESSER, Education Week More than 1,400 students are participating in Grizzly Learning Camp, a free, seven-week summer learning program run by Ypsilanti Community Schools in Michigan. It uses project-based learning – including...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      07/03/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2024

The Surprising Reason Black Schools Face a ‘Fiscal Cliff’ This Fall, Word in Black As federal COVID emergency funds expire this fall, Black students around the country are at risk of losing access to afterschool programs and other supports that students in better-funded school...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/26/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 20, 2024

Parents in Viroqua Come Together for the 'Save the After School Program' Campaign, WXOW (Wisconsin) At the McIntosh Memorial Library’s afterschool program in Viroqua, Wisconsin, students take part in outdoor games, visit local arts organizations, read to a therapy dog named Gordon,...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/20/24

Weekly Media Roundup: June 12, 2024

Tacoma's Late Night Summer Youth Program Aims to Curb Violence, Fox 13 Seattle (Washington) At 12 locations across Tacoma this summer, middle and high schoolers are taking part in Summer Late Nights programming held by Metro Parks Tacoma and Tacoma Public Schools. Each weeknight, teens can...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      06/12/24