Richland One, City of Columbia to Host Stakeholders Breakfast Celebrating After-school Programs
Every week Richland One’s after-school programs provide a safe haven, fun projects and educational activities for thousands of students, but many children in this country are not so fortunate. On Thursday, October 18, Richland One and the City of Columbia will join thousands of communities across the nation, as they celebrate Lights On After School, a nationwide movement working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality after-school programs.
Richland One’s Lights On After School event begins with an 8 a.m. breakfast at the Drew Wellness Center, 2101 Walker Solomon Way. Invited parents and students will share about the impact of after-school programs for their families. Adam Dorsey, the manager and researcher for the National School Boards Association, will be the guest speaker. But the political leaders and after-school advocates assembled for Thursday’s celebration will also issue a call to action for the community to support and improve these valuable resources that millions of working parents depend on every day.
"It’s a startling statistic with serious implications for American youth: one in 4 – about 14.3 million children - are alone and unsupervised after school every day," said Traci Cooper, Richland One’s director of extended-day programs and partnerships. "Children left to take care of themselves are more vulnerable to all types of risky behavior. We know after-school programs make a difference. They have been shown to improve students’ grades and behavior and we need more of them nationwide. We believe all children and youth in this country deserve access to quality after-school programs."
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