WATSONVILLE — On Thursday, the National Afterschool Alliance celebrated the 18th Annual Lights On Afterschool Event.
Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their role in the lives of children, families and communities, according to instructor Jen Bruno.
Hundreds of students attending afterschool programs in Pajaro Valley Unified School District celebrated Lights On Afterschool all week long, which is meant to bring attention to the critical importance of afterschool programs, Bruno said. Local celebrations will vary among school sites, with students participating in themed celebrations, such as STEAM LEGO activities, chalk runs and carnivals.
Recent data from the America After 3 p.m. report, commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance, shows an unmet demand for afterschool programs nationwide, organizers said. In 2014, more than 1.6 million students in California participated in afterschool programs, yet another 2.5 million would be enrolled if a program were available.
Further, 90 percent of California’s parents reported they are satisfied with their child’s afterschool program, and 80 percent agree that afterschool programs give working parents peace of mind.
Carol Ortiz, Extended Learning director, said, “We are all very proud of our afterschool students. There’s no reason that learning should stop at 3 p.m., particularly if the alternative is unsupervised screen time, or any of the dangerous or unhealthy behaviors that can ensnare children in the afternoons. Like so many other afterschool programs around the nation, ours is supported by funding from the Federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative as well as After School Education and Safety California’s Prop. 49. Since its creation, it has provided funding to allow millions of children to attend afterschool.”
PVUSD’s first afterschool program opened in 1999 with the 21st Century grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Originally serving 1,100 students, the program has grown to now serve more than 3,000 students, providing homework assistance, mentoring, tutoring, and classes and clubs in sports, recreation, mathematics, science and dozens of other subjects.
