Healthy families, healthy lives: Lights On Afterschool events to celebrate community strength

Students celebrate with LINC at the Lights On Afterschool event at Faxon Elementary School in 2021.

Intuitively, fans of LINC’s Caring Communities probably have a good sense of what holistic after-school programs can do for their communities.

A nationwide study of after-school programming puts hard numbers behind the confidence of parents and the healthy development of their children.

Here are some of the findings that fuel the fire as LINC and other after-school programs throughout America prepare for the annual celebration of Lights On Afterschool.

Surveys show that 85% of parents said after-school helped their children engage better with peers.

77% said their children built positive relationships with caring mentors and adults.

81% said their children built confidence.

82% said their children learned life skills and responsible decision-making.

And this confidence, says the national study by the national “America After 3 PM” report, has been growing since the annual reporting began in 2009.

“After-school programs,” declared the Afterschool Alliance’s response to the report, “promote healthy futures!”

Every October, LINC Caring Communities sites gather families after school to showcase some of the wide variety of programs and partners that educate, engage and entertain children.

It is also a chance to reinforce the community-building work that LINC and its Caring Communities coordinators and staff carry on throughout the year, helping to keep families safe, in stable housing with utilities secured and food on the table, and in touch with the needs and opportunities in their neighborhoods.

Most of the more than 50 LINC Caring Communities program sites are preparing events during the coming weeks through the end of October to celebrate Lights On Afterschool and all that these programs provide.

The national study saw the same appetite for holistic programming as 90% of the parents in surveys wanted programs to provide opportunities to build life skills, be active, partake in healthy snacks or meals, and experience the outdoors.

Satisfaction surveys showed that most programs nationwide — as at LINC — met these needs. Check out the study’s interactive data dashboard here.

Learn more about LINC’s Lights On programming and take a look at a video and photo gallery from our 2021 celebrations at kclinc.org/lightson.

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In scenes from LINC’s 2021 Lights On Afterschool events, right, top to bottom, Mad Science cotton candy at Dobbs Elementary, cooking decorating at Conn-West Elementary, drive-through trunk or treating at Ervin Elementary and bowling fun at Faxon Elementary.