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Your help is needed to maintain critical funding in Michigan to support after-school programs.  Help by contacting your local legislator and telling them how important after-school funding in the state budget will be to children, youth and families in your community.
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Advocacy and Policy

Lights on After-School

Lights On Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of after-school programs for America's children, families and communities.

In America today, 1 in 4 youth -- 14.3 million children – are alone and unsupervised after school. After-school programs keep kids safe, help working families and inspire learning. They provide opportunities to help young people develop into successful adults.

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, 1 million Americans will celebrate Lights On Afterschool!

Lights On is October 21, 2010! Registration is now open.

Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality,affordable afterschool programs. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has served as Chair of Lights On Afterschool since 2001.

The Afterschool Alliance salutes the many Lights On Afterschool partners and programs who make this event a success, in particular the After-School All-Stars, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 4-H Afterschool, Junior Achievement, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Young Rembrandts, and the YMCA of the USA.

The Afterschool Alliance has many tools on their Web site for Lights On Afterschool.

Some tools to look out for:

 

In 2009 more than a million people rallied for after-school programs at ­­­7,500 events nationwide. Check out the list from Afterschool Alliance's 2008 Lights On Afterschool, with descriptions of hundreds of events.

Governor Granholm declares October 22, 2009 as the Lights On Afterschool Day.

 

Read the full proclamation here.

 

Whereas, Lights on Afterschool Day, the national celebration of afterschool programs, is held on October 22, 2009, and promotes the importance of quality afterschool programs; and,
Whereas, The citizens of the state of Michigan stand firmly committed to quality afterschool programs and opportunities because they provide safe, challenging, and engaging learning experiences for children; and,

Whereas, Afterschool programs also provide support to working families by ensuring their children are safe and productive after school and helping to build stronger communities by promoting positive relationships among youth, families and adults; and,

Whereas, More than 28 million children in the United States have parents who work outside the home, and of that amount, 14.3 million children do not have a productive place to go after school; and,

Whereas, Because quality afterschool programs are key to helping our children become successful adults, the state of Michigan has provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education and well-being of our youth; and,

Whereas, However, many afterschool programs across the country are facing funding shortfalls so severe that they are being forced to close their doors and turn off their lights; and,

Whereas, The state of Michigan is committed to investing in the health and safety of all young people by providing expanded learning opportunities that will help close the achievement gap and prepare young people to compete in the global economy;

Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim October 22, 2009, Lights On Afterschool Day in Michigan. I encourage all citizens of the state of Michigan to engage in innovative afterschool programs and activities that ensure that the lights stay on and the doors stay open for all children after school.