lightsonafterschool

Keep the Lights on Afterschool With

EXCEL

October 9, 2003, is a day of national activity. "Lights on After School" will spotlight an innovative, high-quality, after-school program available to communities across the country. Parents, community and business leaders, elected officials, and the media will have the oppurtunity to see firsthand how after-school programs assist our students.

The sponsors indicate that quality after-school programs can:

Provide safe, friendly learning environments for our students that may increase their academic achievement.
Build stronger communities by involving students, families, business leaders, and adult volunteers.
Support working families by ensuring that their children are safe and productive after the regular school day ends.

The goals of "Lights on After School" are as follows:

To raise national and local awareness of the importance of after-school programs.
To increase funding for after-school programs.
To ensure that after-school programs have the resources they need to provide the highest quality programs.
To support existing after-school programs in their efforts to expand or improve, and to help launch new after-school programs in areas of the country where after-school programs are limited.