Lights On Afterschool: Helping families and inspiring the community

In America today, 11.3 million children are alone and unsupervised after school. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, help working families, and inspire learning. Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization with a vision that all children can access a quality, affordable afterschool program. 

Since moving to a virtual platform due to COVID-19, Operation Shoestring has been hard at work on the Lights On Afterschool program for the local Jackson community. Operation Shoestring has given over 2,000 meals, 200 backpack kits, 100 devices like tablets and ChromeBooks, and $500 to each family who participated in our summer program. Through illustrating the importance of afterschool programs on social media, Operation Shoestring works to inspire other Mississippi organizations to start similar programs. 

Virtual afterschool during COVID-19

With many kids already spending most of their days on screens for virtual learning, Operation Shoestring has been working to make virtual Lights On Afterschool as engaging as possible. We are boosting our typical afterschool programs with a new spin: food support and providing more families with cleaning supplies or financial help.

Operation Shoestring’s simple vision is that our community’s families have what they need. Operation Shoestring’s building has served as a physical safe place for kids to visit, and now, we’re learning that there are other ways we can serve. The pandemic has also helped Operation Shoestring learn more about how to effectively communicate with parents about their needs.

Everybody needs help. It’s not just the people in Jackson. It’s so important that community organizations not only try to do what they’re used to doing, but really listen to the people that they’re serving and figure out how they can plug in and do even more. When adapting to crises like COVID-19, organizations have to be able to be creative, go back to the drawing board, figure out what the community needs, and try to provide that. 

With programs like Lights On Afterschool, Operation Shoestring wants the community and beyond to understand the role after school programs play in kids’ and families’ lives. Afterschool is a supplement to the school day, and it’s important for kids and families to be able to plug into a quality afterschool program where they can further explore what they learn during the day. Afterschool programs are typically more relaxed and less structured than the typical school day, and students can learn more at their own pace. 

Students can dig deeper into things that interest them after school. When kids go back to school, because they’ve had more time with subjects and have had the chance to be more hands-on, they typically do better when it is time to be tested. 100% of Operation Shoestring 3rd graders passed the 3rd Grade Gate Reading Test in the academic year 2017-18, and 100% of Operation Shoestring elementary students were promoted to next grade in the academic year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Afterschool is a necessity for a full education, and more communities would benefit from having these programs be available.

Winter events for Operation Shoestring

Beyond Lights On, Operation Shoestring will host our annual Thanksgiving dinner drive, giving families dinner boxes to create a Thanksgiving meal. Participating families will get tickets, then drive through for grab and go meals. This event is put on with the help of community partners: Gilmer and Green Legal Group, Magnolia Bar Association, and Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company.

In December, Operation Shoestring will be having our Angel Tree event. This year we’re extending the program to include all families involved in Operation Shoestring, because the pandemic has exacerbated situations for everybody. We are making sure that all families can get something this year. This event wouldn’t be possible without the help of several community partners: National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 217, Northminster Baptist Church, We Are One United Methodist Church, Gilmer & Green Legal Group, and Synergy.

Visit the Lights On Afterschool website and the Mississippi Afterschool Network for more information.