Mat-Su Celebrates Lights On Afterschool
Contributed by Kim Hayes
Mat-Su's Students, Families, Leaders Join 26th Annual Lights On Afterschool. Hundreds of students, parents, and business and community leaders came together with Youth 360 on November 8, 2025 for Lights On Afterschool at Teeland Middle School to celebrate the many ways afterschool programs support student success and well-being.
The event showcases the creativity and achievements of afterschool students and draws attention to the need for more afterschool programs to serve the millions of children nationwide who are unsupervised and without opportunities to learn each weekday afternoon. The gathering is one of some 8,000 events across the nation, organized by the Afterschool Alliance as part of the 26th annual Lights On Afterschool.
Speakers at the event highlighted the work of students, afterschool providers, businesses, and community groups that support afterschool programs, and urged lawmakers to provide more funding for them. The Lights On Afterschool event featured panels on teen education, teen safety online, vaping, and the power of afterschool activities. Parents enjoyed the panels while teens and elementary students participated in fun, supervised youth activities provided by Thrive Mat-Su. The day concluded with insightful panels from teens and parents.
“We’re thrilled to have a chance to showcase the remarkable work our afterschool students are doing, and to have parents and the rest of the community get a first-hand look. We love working with families and want to share what we have learned about supporting teens and their parents,” said former Youth 360 Project Director Tyler Healy. “Access to high quality afterschool programs is essential for our youth. We need to give all children and youth access to these programs.” Healy serves as an Afterschool Ambassador for Alaska for the Afterschool Alliance.
Youth 360 is joined by Lights On Afterschool partner organizations Thrive Mat-Su, Matanuska-Susitna and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, Palmer Police Department, Mat-Su Borough School District, the American Lung Association, and the Alaska Afterschool Network, along with more than 20 community booths with local programs and resources for families, including mental health supports and volunteer and recreation opportunities.
Lights On Afterschool this year comes as federal funding for afterschool is uncertain. A massive public outcry in July led the Trump Administration to release – rather than withhold – the FY 2025 funds Congress had appropriated for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the chief federal funding stream for afterschool and summer learning programs. But the Administration has recommended defunding the program in this fiscal year; Congress has yet to finalize the FY 2026 budget.
According to a 2025 study, the parents of 29.6 million children, more than half the school-age kids in the United States, want afterschool programs for their children – but less than 7 million are currently enrolled. Another 22.6 million children would attend an afterschool program if it were available. That means three in four kids whose parents want afterschool programs for them (77%), including many in middle- as well as low-income families, are being left behind. Cost and accessibility are the barriers many families cannot overcome. It’s no wonder that 89% of parents favor public funding for these programs. Ninety-five percent of parents with children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the program their child attends.
A large and powerful body of evidence demonstrates improvements in grades, school attendance, behavior, and more among children who participate in afterschool programs. Researchers have also found that students in afterschool programs are more engaged in school and excited about learning, and they develop work and life skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and communications.
More information on the Afterschool Alliance and Lights On Afterschool is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.
Youth 360 is a project of United Way of Mat-Su, providing afterschool youth clubs and other youth connection opportunities around the Mat-Su Valley. Their mission is to provide activities and opportunities to help youth and families thrive.
Visit www.youth-360.org for more information.