Lights On! Why It’s So Important

Afterschool’s National Celebration, Lights On Afterschool! is scheduled for Thursday, October 17, 2013. The Afterschool Alliance, sponsor of the event, states on its website: "Each October, 1 million Americans and thousands of communities nationwide celebrate Lights On Afterschool to shine a light on the afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families." If you haven’t participated in this celebration in the past, let 2013 be a banner year. If you have participated, sign-up again by going to the Alliance website at

 "Light on Afterschool" and registering your event.

This year Lights On Afterschool is fourteen years old. Millions of afterschool advocates and program participants take time to rejoice in the opportunity to provide an informal learning space for children and youth in the hours afterschool. The program, once focused simply on safety and a little homework assistance, has morphed into learning experiences for young people that are active, collaborative and relevant, and that give youth a look into many new possibilities that await them in the future.

No need to worry about planning as the Alliance even has a planning kit to make your Lights On Afterschool celebration easy to organize. Programs celebrate this day in many different ways. Some get proclamations from local government leaders, others invite parents to a showcase, while others assemble the youth from a number of sites and have a carnival of sorts.

No matter what you do it is important that you DO! Join with others across the country. Register your event with the Alliance and become part of a great tradition.

Please send pictures of your event to C4K at support@consultfourkids.com so we can post on our website.