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Washington DC – Today, DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Director Keith Anderson, Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant and Councilmember Brandon T. Todd will join hundreds of children, parents, business and community leaders at the Lights On Afterschool event at Raymond Recreation Center (3725 10th Street, NW) in Ward 4. Washington, DC is ranked first in the nation for the percent of children participating in an afterschool program and this event will celebrate the achievements of afterschool students and draw attention to the need for more afterschool programs to serve the millions of children nationwide who are unsupervised and at risk each weekday afternoon. The gathering will be one of more than 8,000 such events across the nation emphasizing on the importance of keeping the lights on and the doors open after school.
"I am proud Washington, DC has been ranked first in the nation for our afterschool programs,” said Mayor Bowser. “Afterschool programs support learning and offer a range of benefits to help our children and families on their pathway to the middleclass. Lights On Afterschool celebrates the remarkable work our students are doing in afterschool programs and I am excited to see this tradition continue.”
Washington, DC Lights On Afterschool event at Raymond Recreation Center will showcase the wide array of programs that highlight DPR’s slogan, “Move, Grow, Be Green,” through crafts and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) experiments. Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool has been celebrated annually since 2000. This year, more than one million Americans will take part in the only nationwide rally for afterschool programs.
“We are all very proud of our afterschool youth,” said DPR Director Keith Anderson. “There's no reason that learning should stop at 3 p.m., particularly if the alternative is unsupervised time in front of a television set, or any of the dangerous or unhealthy behaviors that can ensnare children in the afternoons."
Recent data from the America After 3PM report, commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance, shows a vast unmet demand for afterschool programs nationwide. In Washington, DC, 35 percent of children participate in an afterschool program. Further, 34 percent of DC’s parents are satisfied with their child’s afterschool program, and 95 percent agree that afterschool programs give working parents peace of mind.
Lights On Afterschool is organized by the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children have access to quality afterschool programs. More information on the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool and America After 3PM is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.
About DPR
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides quality urban recreation and leisure services for residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. DPR supervises and maintains area parks, community facilities, swimming pools and spray parks, and neighborhood recreation centers. The agency also coordinates a wide variety of recreation and educational programs including sports leagues, youth development, therapeutic recreation, aquatic programming, outdoor adventure, camping and senior citizen activities. Adaptive programs and facilities are available for persons with disabilities.
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