Education Connection Turns The ‘Lights On’ After School

The eighth annual Lights On Afterschool Day was observed Thursday, October 18, by close to 100 rallies scheduled at after school programs throughout Connecticut, including four of Newtown’s schools.

At Sandy Hook School, students attending the Education Connection after school program planned a ziti dinner to share with their parents. The students made decorations and placemats. The teachers prepare the food and also serve it. The ziti had to be served at the proper temperature, one too high for students to serve according to regulations.

“There will be dinner for the parents and students, with a little dancing afterwards,” said Susan Fitz Gerald, an Education Connection teacher, before the event. “Since the kids love High School Musical, we chose the theme, ‘We’re All In This Together.’”

Lights On rallies give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and the talents they develop at their after school programs. Rallies provide an opportunity for educators, policymakers, parents, students, and civic leaders to come together in support of after school initiatives. A combined effort of more than 90 programs in each of Connecticut’s eight counties host events.

“We are delighted to promote Connecticut’s Lights On rallies which send a powerful message that after school programs help working families, keep kids safe, and inspire learning,” said Michelle Doucette Cunningham, executive director of the Connecticut After School Network.

“Too many after school programs have been forced to cut back on hours, services, and staff because of inadequate budgets at the federal, state, and local levels,” continued Ms Cunningham. “Many programs have had to close their doors for good. With over 160,000 kids in Connecticut going home to an empty house every day, we simply can’t afford to overlook the obvious need for quality programs.”

Lights On Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in more than 1,200 communities nationwide. The event grew in 2001 to more than 3,600 events and more than 7,500 in 2006. This October, more than one million Americans will celebrate Lights On Afterschool across the United States and at military bases around the world.

The Connecticut After School Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Its mission is to lead, educate and advocate for excellence in the after school field by building professionalism, strengthening program quality and increasing availability and affordability.

For more information about Lights On rallies throughout Connecticut, after school in Connecticut or the Connecticut After School Network, contact Jennifer Peifer, communications specialist, at 203-483-9757, email jpeifer@ctafterschoolnetwork.org, or visit the website, ctafterschoolnetwork.org.

Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality after school programs. More information is available at afterschoolalliance.org.