The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open, and this year, we’re looking for any artwork that represents the spirit of afterschool programs. This includes murals, paintings, graphics on social media, and anything else that celebrates afterschool.

The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is a great opportunity for an afterschool program to gain national recognition for the opportunities it offers. The winning artist will be featured on our website, blog, and a national press release, and their afterschool program will be credited on the poster in addition to receiving the grand prize of $500!  

Over the next few weeks, millions of kids around the country will come home from school, toss their backpacks in a corner, and begin an annual ritual that can be fun, relaxing, stressful, and confusing all at the same time.

While state lawmakers are working to increase pay for Florida teachers, a new effort is being made to do that for coaches, too. The idea is to help address the coach shortage in the Sunshine State. Florida is last in the nation for compensating high school football coaches, paying them between $3,000 and $6,000 a year.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast announced that the seventh annual Mac & Cheese Festival, held March 16 at Destin Commons, raised $60,000 to support youth programs across the region. Proceeds from the event will help fund programs focused on academic success, character development and healthy lifestyles for more than 5,000 youth annually.

Based on responses from 421 school superintendents, conducted between November 12, 2024, and January 20, 2025, the study sought to understand the role superintendents believe summer programs play in their districts and the types of summer opportunities available through districts. This snapshot of the current state of summer learning reveals several key takeaways, including:

Please consider having national, state, or local your organization sign onto a letter to congress urging more funding for the 21st CCLC! Thank you for your continued and essential support of afterschool and summer learning programs. Please ensure you have authorization from your organization to sign onto this letter.

As Southwest Florida sets its sights on continued growth over the next several years, the need for a much larger workforce also continues to grow. In Lee County alone, over 200,000 jobs will need to be filled in the next three to five years, according to the latest projections.

Poor financial literacy plagues all generations but younger ones in particular. The number of U.S. adults with poor financial literacy jumped from 20% in 2017 to 25% in 2023 — with Gen Z and Gen Y reporting the lowest financial literacy rates, according to the website Moneyzine.

As funding decisions loom, sharing personal stories and highlighting the positive impact of afterschool programs is essential in making lawmakers understand their value. Together, let's ensure our leaders prioritize funding for these vital initiatives.

Congress is starting work on their fiscal year 2026 spending bills. The Administration recently issued an Executive Order proposing to dismantle the Department of Education. Now is the time to emphasize for your Senators and Representative how important continued support for afterschool and summer learning is, and share why your local afterschool and summer learning programs are so vital to your community. 

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Charity for Change, a Florida-based nonprofit, offers an award-winning character education curriculum designed to boost academic performance, improve behavior, and build resiliency in youth. Through interactive activities, students explore critical character traits like kindness, responsibility, and respect—while developing empathy through community involvement.