This week, thousands of programs, schools and communities got together to support the 16th annual Lights On Afterschool.

Lights On Afterschool is an initiative created by the Afterschool Alliance in order to showcase the afterschool opportunities available to students and how these opportunities shape student achievement.

For those unfamiliar, the Afterschool Alliance is a major player in rallying support and funding for the nation’s afterschool programs, one of the many underfunded components in today’s education system. In support of the initiative, 40 of the country’s governors declared Oct. 22 officially as Afterschool Day, and as a result many states and communities saw an outpouring of support. WGRZ.com estimates that in New York alone, 373 programs in showing support.

Other communities also estimated a large display of support; in Idaho, MagicValley.com said that support for Lights On Afterschool significantly increased this year from the last, with 50 sites showing support this year versus 30 sites in the year prior.

Another big participant in support of the day nationwide was the Boys & Girls Clubs, one of the Afterschool Alliance’s biggest partners. Clubs across the country held events in support of afterschool programs that included arts and craft, education, outdoor activities and health awareness.

If you missed participation in any Lights On activities, the Afterschool Alliance is still circulating a petition that at the time of this posting has collected 15,576 signatures to encourage policymakers to “support children and working families by increasing funding for afterschool programs and by making sure that afterschool funding goes only to afterschool, before school and summer learning programs.” That petition is available here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

10/23/2015