September 22, 2025 Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration To Be Held in October Lights On Afterschool will hold its 26th annual nationwide event celebrating after school programs and their role in the lives of children, families, and communities in October. Learn More Lights On Afterschool has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement since its launch in October 2000. The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool events to draw attention to the numerous ways that afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things and discover new skills. Subjects and activities about which students learn through Lights On Afterschool include science, community service, robotics, poetry, and Tae Kwon Do, among others. The annual Lights On Afterschool events send a message that more children need quality afterschool programs around the nation. 2025 Event This year’s event will be held on Oct. 23. For more information, visit Lights On Afterschool’s website. More than 8,000 programs across the country are expected to take part in Lights On events in October. Those interested in hosting a Lights On event can register their event online.
September 3, 2025 Deadline to Apply for APOST’s Lights On Afterschool Mini-Grant is Sept. 23 Those interested in applying for Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time’s (APOST) Lights on Afterschool 2025 mini-grants must do so by Tuesday, Sept. 23. Learn More Celebrating its 25th year, Lights on Afterschool is a nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families, and communities. The program is meant to draw attention to the many ways afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things – such as science, community service, robotics, poetry, Tae Kwon Do, and other new skills. APOST celebrates Lights on Afterschool by awarding mini-grant funds to local out-of-school time programs to showcase their work and share the importance of their mission. The deadline to apply for APOST’s mini-grants is 5 p.m. on Sept. 23. To be eligible, organizations must be located within Allegheny County and qualify as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. A maximum of one award will be given per event or project. Mini-grant requirements include: Events or projects must take place within the week of Monday, Oct. 20 to Friday, Oct. 24. Events or projects must be submitted to the Lights on Afterschool Directory by Monday, Oct. 13. At least one photo of the event or project must be sent to APOST to be shared publicly. Providers chosen for the grant will receive $500 to implement a Lights On Afterschool-inspired event or project. APOST staff may attend the event or participate in a project where possible, and chosen events or projects will have a chance to be spotlighted in the News You Can Use newsletter or on the APOST website. For more information, visit APOST’s Lights On Afterschool web page.
September 23, 2024 APOST to Offer Mini Grants for Lights On Afterschool’s 25th Annual Event As part of its celebration of 25 years of Lights on Afterschool (LOA), Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time will offer a mini-grant to go toward implementing an event or project that celebrates LOA. Learn More Lights On Afterschool will hold its 25th annual nationwide event on Oct. 24 to celebrate after school programs and their role in the lives of children, families, and communities. The Afterschool Alliance organizes LOA events to draw attention to the ways that after school programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things and discover new skills. To support out-of-school time programs in Allegheny County, APOST is providing mini-grant funds to implement an event or project in celebration of Lights On Afterschool. Those who are chosen for mini grants will: Receive $500 to implement a Lights On Afterschool-inspired event or project Receive assistance from APOST staff, who will attend events or participate in projects where possible Have their projects/events listed on APOST’s website and communications Have a chance for their projects/events to be spotlighted in future APOST materials Those interested should apply for the mini-grant by Monday, Oct. 7. Be sure to read all the requirements for submission. Award notification will be within seven business days of submitting your application. Award distribution will be within 14 days. For more information on this year’s LOA event, visit Lights On Afterschool’s website.
September 17, 2024 Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration to Be Held in October Lights On Afterschool will hold its 25th annual nationwide event celebrating after school programs and their role in the lives of children, families, and communities in October. Learn More Lights On Afterschool has become a hallmark of the afterschool movement since its launch in October 2000. The Afterschool Alliance organizes Lights On Afterschool events to draw attention to the numerous ways that afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things and discover new skills. Subjects and activities about which students learn through Lights On Afterschool include science, community service, robotics, poetry, and Tae Kwon Do, among others. The annual Lights On Afterschool events send a message that more children need quality afterschool programs around the nation. 2024 Event This year’s event will be held on Oct. 24. For more information, visit Lights On Afterschool’s website. Information about the winners of the event’s 2024 poster contest can be found on Lights On Afterschool’s blog. Those interested in hosting a Lights On event can register their event online.
October 18, 2023 Celebrate Lights On Afterschool Day 2023 On October 26, celebrate Lights On Afterschool Day. This is a nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families, and communities. About Lights On Afterschool This year, Governor Josh Shapiro has proclaimed that October 26 is Lights On Afterschool Day. The Afterschool Alliance has recorded that over half of students participate in afterschool programming across the nation. Therefore, they have organized the Lights On Afterschool campaign to draw attention to the many ways afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things—such as science, community service, robotics, Tae Kwon Do, and poetry—and discover new skills. This year they invite you to participate and host your own “Lights On” event. Events Happening in Pittsburgh: Dragon’s Den Tuesday, 10/24 | 3:30 – 5 p.m. 1008 Amity Street, Homestead, PA 15120 Family Resources/ BJWL Homewood Wednesday, 10/25 | 4 – 6 p.m. 10 Albertice Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Neighborhood Learning Alliance Wednesday, 10/25 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Arsenal K – 5, 215 39th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Woolslair K – 5, 501 40th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Allegheny Youth Development Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 7 p.m. 3530 Fleming Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Center That Cares Thursday, 10/26 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. 2701 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Learn More Earthen Vessels Outreach Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 6 p.m. 250 S. Pacific Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Melting Pot Ministries Thursday, 10/26 | 3 – 6:30 p.m. 5811 Curry Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 Register Neighborhood Learning Alliance Thursday, 10/26 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Concord K – 5, 2350 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 Roosevelt Intermediate, 17 W. Cherryhill Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 Project Destiny Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 6 p.m. Destiny of Faith Church, 3737 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Pittsburgh Manchester PreK – 8 School, 1612 Manhattan Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Rankin Christian Center Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 6:30 p.m. 230 Third Avenue, Rankin, PA 15104 SLB Radio Productions Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 6 p.m. 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 The Maker’s Clubhouse Thursday, 10/26 | 4 – 6 p.m. PPS – Lincoln, 238 Lincoln Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 PPS – Faison, 7430 Tioga Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Youth Opportunities Development Thursday, 10/26 | 3 – 8 p.m. 501 Mitchell Avenue, Clairton, PA 15025 Assemble Friday, 10/27 | 4 – 6 p.m. 4824 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Find Other Events Communities nationwide, including many in western Pennsylvania, are celebrating. Find local events online. For more information and the toolkit, visit the Lights On Afterschool webpage. Learn More About Afterschool Programs Afterschool programs or Out-of-School-Time (OST) programs offer countless benefits to the community and significantly impact students behaviorally and academically. In Allegheny County alone, there are over 180,000 students between the ages of 5-17 years old that are eligible to participate in these programs. That is why it is important to know about the programs that are operating in your community. To learn more, please visit the APOST event calendar.
