The biggest day of the year for afterschool programs across the country is fast-approaching! Created in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event that celebrates afterschool programs and the role they play in the lives of children, families, and communities. This afterschool movement has become a hallmark, and it generates great media coverage and awareness each year.
Each year, the Indiana Afterschool Network (IAN) joins the Afterschool Alliance, the organizer of Lights On Afterschool, to share how afterschool programs support students through opportunities to learn new things like STEM, community service, robotics, and poetry, while also discovering new skills. Even though a school day ends, that does not mean that learning should cease. And while the school day means children are following a certain curriculum, afterschool programs provide many learning opportunities that incorporate and complement school day learning. Afterschool celebrations send a powerful message that there are millions of kids in need of high-quality afterschool programs.
On the evening of Thursday, October 25th, IAN will host their own Lights On event that will take place at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indy. The event will take place from 6-8pm and will feature Blanche Wright, AYS Program Director at IPS Schools #96 and #107, who will be sharing about the STEAM projects her kids have completed.
Help us spread the word of the importance of afterschool on October 25th by joining us on the steps of Monument Circle and using #LightsOnIndiana and #LightsOnAfterschool in your social media posts! For more information on IAN’s event, click here.