For Immediate Release: October 13, 2011

 

Brevard Public Schools School Age Child Care Programs

participate in the 12th Annual Lights On Afterschool celebration

VIERA, FLORIDA - Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable after school programs. One in four youth, approximately 15.1 million children in America today, are alone and unsupervised after school. After school programs keep children safe, help working families, inspire learning and provide opportunities to help young people develop into successful adults.

Lights On Afterschool was launched in October 2000 with celebrations in 1,200 communities nationwide.  The following year 3,600 events took place.  Today, more than 7,500 Lights On Afterschool rallies are held annually, attracting one million Americans and media coverage nationwide.

This year’s event takes place on Thursday, October 20 and will be celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of after school programs for America's children, families and communities. All 58 BPS elementary schools host a School Age Child Care (SACC) and/or a 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) Grant Program, and each one will be holding a Lights On Afterschool event. The commitment every program has to this event and the amount of energy, planning and hard work that goes into making each celebration unique is to be commended.

This year, the Afterschool Alliance sponsored the first Light Up a Landmark contest in conjunction with the 2011 Lights On Afterschool event. The contest was held to call attention to the importance of quality after school programs through connections with significant community landmarks. Todd Forschino, Program Development Coordinator for 21^st CCLC Grants, entered the NASA Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in this contest.  Eleven (11) sites were selected nationwide to receive awards from longtime after school champion, JCPenney, who will present one $5,000 Megawatt award and ten $1,000 Spotlight awards.

Brevard Public Schools District SACC is pleased to announce that its entry, the NASA Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex, was selected as one of the ten national Spotlight award winners.

On October 20, in partnership with Delaware North Parks and Recreation and with the cooperation of NASA, the NASA Rocket Garden will be lit up in recognition of Lights On Afterschool. The children and staff of Coquina Elementary School’s SACC and 21^st CCLC Space Explorers Programs will attend the celebration, along with district SACC staff members.  Additionally, invitations to join in the “3-2-1 Blast Off to Lights On Afterschool” celebration will be extended to local representatives from JCPenney, BPS School Board and staff members, local dignitaries and media.  The goal is to bring further awareness to the importance of BPS after school programs and the vital role they play in the lives of the approximately 5,000 elementary students and their families who utilize these services daily.

BPS School Age Child Care Programs and the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants are proud to participate in this very important event.