Camel celebrating afterschool programs tonight, Friday night

Hundreds of Carmel Clay School students and their families will celebrate Lights On Afterschool at their elementary school’s Extended School Enrichment (ESE) programs this evening Friday. Afterschool programs like ESE boost student success, keep kids safe and help parents have a work-life balance.

Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is a nationwide celebration of everything afterschool programs do for students, families and communities across the country. It is an event not only for recognizing the extraordinary value of these programs, but also for putting a spotlight on the need for more funding. In Indiana, more than 123,000 students are enrolled in before- and after-school programs, while more than 300,000 students would be enrolled by parents if a program were available to them.

In addition to activities at 11 Carmel elementary schools, the celebration will extend to downtown Indianapolis and Monument Circle as the Indianapolis Power & Light windows will again be lit up to commemorate Lights On Afterschool Day on Thursday, Oct. 25.

“The value of high-quality afterschool programs is beyond important to students and families in our community,” said Extended School Enrichment Director Ben Johnson. “Providing safe, rewarding and exciting afterschool programs is our expectation. We fully understand the value that we provide to working families through our commitment to academic assistance on a daily basis. We strive to be the place to be for afterschool, with our strongest supporters being our families.”

More than a million people have participated in Lights On Afterschool to urge greater investment in quality afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families.

Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation collaborates with Carmel Clay Schools to offer ESE at 11 elementary schools. For more information or to enroll in programs, visit carmelclayparks.com.