Why educators, schools and communities are celebrating Lights On Afterschool

October 01, 2013
By Educator Innovator

The Afterschool Alliance is inviting you to help celebrate the 14th annual Lights On Afterschool! On October 17, more than 1 million kids, educators, families, and communities will come together at thousands of events around the country to raise awareness about the wide range of creative and innovative learning experiences taking place outside of school, and the integral partnerships that help to make them happen.

We know that when the school bell rings, kids take off in a number of different directions—some to an afterschool program, some home or to a friend or relative’s house where they’ll have adult supervision—but more than 15 million kids leave and are alone and unsupervised (PDF) in the hours after school. This means that more than 15 million kids don’t have the opportunity to take part in activities that build on what they learn during the school day, dive deeper into their interests, explore their community, and benefit from the additional support of caring mentors.

This year, the Afterschool Alliance is thrilled to partner with Educator Innovator to highlight the meaningful, engaging, and fun learning that is happening in schools, libraries, museums, and community-based organizations after the school day ends. By registering for Lights On Afterschool, you can help show your support for the in-school and out-of-school partnerships that re-imagine what learning looks like and where it takes place.

Lights On Afterschool can be an easy and effective way to raise money for a local program, educate policy makers about the importance of afterschool, get local media to cover your event, and connect with other like-minded educators. But, most importantly, it’s an opportunity to rally your community around the programs and partners that keeps kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. Events come in all shapes and sizes and don’t have to be elaborate. There are plenty of simple, creative ways to help bring attention to the important opportunities available to kids every day after school.

Check out the video below to see some of the photos from last year’s events across the country.

So, what’s next?

Register your event.

When you register, you’ll receive 10 free Lights On Afterschool posters in the mail and be eligible for a chance to win thousands of dollars’ worth of cool prizes each week.

Get inspired.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel! You’ll find everything you need to host a great event in our planning kit, including sample media releases, case studies, event ideas, an afterschool petition, and much more.

Lights On Afterschool is an excellent opportunity to showcase the ecosystem of learning opportunities that engage and inspire kids, and we hope that you’ll join us in recognizing the programs in your community!

Related Events: The Olymp-i-a Challenge, October 14–20.