The Learning Lamp Keeps “Lights On” To Draw Attention to Importance of After School Program

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Johnstown, PA (Oct. 19, 2017) –It’s time to shine a light on the need for after school programs in the region! The Learning Lamp will take part in the Afterschool Alliance’s 18^th annual “Lights On Afterschool” celebration on Thursday, Oct. 26 at all of its after school sites. The nationwide event celebrates after school programs and their important role in the lives of the children, families and communities they serve. 

The Learning Lamp’s after school programs boost academic performance, reduce risky behaviors, promote physical health and provide a safe, structured environment for children across Cambria and Somerset Counties. Students enrolled in The Learning Lamp’s after school programs will participate in a wide variety of activities such as: creating paper leaves that display a message of how the after school program has helped them to “grow” and attaching them to a tree; throwing an after school glow party where students will decorate pumpkins and play glow-in-the-dark bowling; and coloring light bulb cut-outs to string together in an effort to illuminate the positive impact of after school programs for the 11.3 million kids nationwide who rely on them every day. 

“We’re standing with the Afterschool Alliance to demonstrate to our community how important after school programs are in children’s lives,” said Brittany Darr, director of school age programs at The Learning Lamp. “With these programs, we’re not only providing child care for families, we provide homework help, educationally-focused activities, character-enrichment programming and more. We strive to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve.”

The Learning Lamp offers two types of after school care at 15 sites across Cambria and Somerset counties. Twelve locations offer care to 628 elementary students at affordable rates, with some income-eligible families receiving tuition assistance. On top of its regular after school programming, The Learning Lamp offers its Kids’ Day Out program that provides care when children are off from school, including teacher professional development days, snow days and school holidays such as winter break. The three remaining sites are part of The Learning Lamp’s free After School Outreach Program, which provides after school programs to the Johnstown neighborhoods of Moxham, Oakhurst and Coopersdale. Currently, 91 participants receive free homework help, a healthy meal and structured character-building activities in a safe environment up to four days a week throughout the school year.

“The after school outreach program allows us to have a positive impact on the youth in our community.” said Amanda Peretin, The Learning Lamp’s outreach coordinator. “Our staff not only provides homework help in a safe, supervised setting, they also serve a hot meal so that kids don’t have to go to school hungry the next day.”

The Learning Lamp is currently seeking volunteers for its free After School Outreach sites in Moxham, Oakhurst and Coopersdale. Call Amanda at 814-262-0732 extension 246 if you are interested in lending a hand. Visit thelearninglamp.org for more information.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 35,525 children from 62 school districts and 39 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 17 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland in 2016.

Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.