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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 21, 2022 09:01 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Designating October 20, 2022, as “Lights on Afterschool Day” in Pennsylvania |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a concurrent resolution designating October 20, 2022, as “Lights on Afterschool Day” in Pennsylvania. In October 2000, the first national “Lights on Afterschool” rally was held to showcase and celebrate the many ways afterschool programs help students succeed in school and in life. Started as a project of the Afterschool Alliance, “Lights on Afterschool” is a nationwide call to support and invest in afterschool programs that keep kids safe, help working families and inspire lifelong learning. As students return to school, many parents struggle to find available afterschool programs. According to a survey from the Afterschool Alliance, unmet demand for afterschool programs to continues to be at an all-time high. As of 2022, there were 24.7 million U.S. children not in an afterschool program who otherwise would be if a program were available to them. Unmet need continues to be highest among Latino and Black children. Of the 1,500 parents surveyed, the top barriers to enroll continue to be cost, lack of safe transportation to and from the program, program location, and program hours not meeting parents’ needs. Afterschool programs are vital for both children and parents. Parents whose children are in afterschool programs report that the afterschool program helps them keep their jobs and gives them peace of mind that their child is safe and supervised. Afterschool programs are not only a lifeline for working parents, but they help children build social skills, provide time for physical activity, connect children with caring adults, offer homework help, help develop life skills and provide healthy snacks and meals. In addition to the real-life testaments of parents and children, there is a large body of research that shows improvements in grades, school attendance, behavior and classroom engagement among children who participate in afterschool programs. We must continue to push for more sustained investments and support of afterschool programs so that all students will be able to benefit from the academic and well-being supports these programs provide. I hope you will join me in designating October 20, 2022, as “Lights on Afterschool Day” in Pennsylvania. |
Introduced as SR359