Celebration Sheds 'Light' on Glastonbury After-School Programs

The Academy Teen Center at 2142 Main Street will be the hub of Glastonbury’s Lights On After School celebration Thursday, October 18, 2012, 3 – 6 p.m. Students in grades 6 – 8 and their families are invited to the party honoring the importance of after-school programs. Refreshments will be served.

Lights On After School is a nationwide celebration organized by the Afterschool Alliance, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making sure all children have access to affordable, quality after-school programs. Since 2000, the Afterschool Alliance has hosted the celebration. This year, 7,500 communities around the United States and more than a million people are expected to take part.

The Afterschool Alliance’s website cites these arguments to support the importance of engaging students in after-school activities:

• 15.1 million U.S. children take care of themselves after the school day ends
• A study of federally funded after-school programs showed that 45 percent of participants improved their reading grades and 41 percent improved their math grades
• The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak times for weekday juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex
• Teens who do not participate in after-school programs are nearly three times more likely to skip classes and use marijuana or other drugs than teens who do participate. They are also more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and engage in sexual activity. 
• Parents with children in after-school programs are less stressed, have fewer unscheduled absences and are more productive at work.