Hundreds of advocates call on lawmakers to fund central Pennsylvania after-school programs

Hundreds of students, teachers, and school officials gathered at the state Capitol to advocate for funding for after-school programs on Wednesday. Organizers are asking for $11.5 million to be allocated to enhancing, enriching, and strengthening after-school programs throughout Pennsylvania.

Governor Josh Shapiro proposed $11.5 million to create a statewide Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) program to increase access to before- and after-school programming for Pennsylvania kids. Advocates hope lawmakers will see this proposal to the end.

“11.5 million as proposed is progress and is a start,” said Contrell Armors, the director of Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN). “After-school is so important not only to the school districts but to the communities themselves.”

Armors said the goal is to enrich the academic experience for students and involve them in service learning projects, enriching their experience around workforce development, and all contributions to the community. Armors said that they’re not complaining about the amount and instead looking at what they can do with funding.


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