“Afterschool: Improving Lives in Pennsylvania” and “Lights On Afterschool” Activities
The Afterschool Caucus, a bi-partisan, bi-cameral legislative caucus, led by Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) and Senator John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) and Representative Mindy Fee (R-Lancaster) and Representative Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny), will announce the release of the report Afterschool: Improving Lives in Pennsylvania.
The event will take place at 10:15 AM on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, in the East Wing Rotunda.
The report reviews national and state research that identifies key components of effective Out-of-School Time (OST) programs – including academic achievement, learning outcomes, return on investment and helping families.
The report also highlights specific Pennsylvania examples and makes recommendations, including making OST investments a priority, adopting quality guidelines, and more effectively aligning resources and building partnerships in order to benefit more of the Commonwealth’s children.
The publication was written by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Association (PSAYDN) and made possible through support from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
In addition, the Afterschool Caucus will highlight hundreds of programs across the state that plan to sponsor Lights On Afterschool events on Thursday, October 20, 2016, to promote the importance of quality afterschool programs in Pennsylvania. In 2015, over one million people celebrated the importance of and demand for afterschool programs nationwide.
Participants in the Lights On Afterschool events include state lawmakers, mayors, school superintendents, as well as local business leaders, educators and other officials. The events will highlight three of the significant contributions that afterschool programs make to Pennsylvania communities: keeping kids safe and healthy, inspiring them to learn, and relieving working parents of worries about their children’s activities during the afternoon hours.
The Pennsylvania rallies will be among more than 8,000 similar events around the nation on October 20.
Lights On Afterschool participants will see students conduct scientific experiments, athletic performances, participate in games, live bands and a showcase of other talent.
The 17th annual Lights On Afterschool is organized by the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children have access to quality afterschool programs. A complete list of Pennsylvania celebrations is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm.
For a copy of the Afterschool: Improving Lives in Pennsylvania report or for more information about Pennsylvania’s afterschool network, go to www. PSAYDN.org.
Contact: Jake Smeltz, (717) 787-4420