Think Together Celebrates Bright Futures Ahead with Top State and Federal Lawmakers at its Annual Lights on Afterschool Event

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Oct 26, 2023, 19:00 ET

Virtual event shines with expanded learning champions Senator U.S. Alex Padilla and U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter, alongside heartwarming testimonials from Think Together parents, staff, and students.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Together, California's leading nonprofit provider of afterschool, expanded learning and school improvement programs, held its annual Lights On Afterschool virtual event on its YouTube channel on Thursday, Oct. 26. The event themed, Celebrating Bright Futures Ahead, marks the third year Think Together has hosted a virtual statewide celebration.

Think Together celebrates Lights on Afterschool, a national campaign to advocate for investments in afterschool and expanded learning. This year, Think Together hosts more than 400 onsite events alongside its annual virtual event featuring elected officials, community leaders, staff, and family.

The broadcast featured highlights from Think Together's expanded learning, afterschool and summer programs, as well as impactful testimonials from students, parents, staff and top legislators such as:

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D)
U.S Congresswoman Katie Porter (D) Irvine
Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D) San Diego
State Senator Dave Min (D) Orange
State Senator John Laird (D) San Luis Obispo
State Senator Anthony Portantino (D) Pasadena
State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R) Yucaipa
State Senator Dave Cortese (D) San Jose

In addition to the virtual broadcast, Think Together hosted over 400 school site celebrations across the state in collaboration with schools that have benefited from increased state and federal investments including the formative Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) grants. Celebrations ranged from harvest festivals to STEAM demonstrations, art walks to read-aloud events.

"ELO-P continues to act as a catalyst for innovation and creativity, allowing educators to experiment with new ideas that engage students in exciting ways," said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. "As we look to the future, it's crucial to recognize that sustaining and expanding the impact of the Expanded Learning Opportunity Programs requires ongoing advocacy and support from all stakeholders."

After the devastating effects of the pandemic on children and families, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators championed the ELO-P to help support students most impacted by the pandemic. This increased the state investment from roughly $800 million per year to $4.8 billion per year and has accounted for $2,750 more per student toward universal access to expanded learning programs.

Programs like Think Together provide roughly an additional 540 hours of academic support and enrichment to students annually, in the hours after the school day and during seasonal breaks. Over 900,000 California children rely on afterschool programs for academic support and a secure place to be until their parents can pick them up; Think Together alone supports close to 200,000 of that number.

"By working together, we can build a brighter and more equitable future for generations to come," added Barth. "As champions of expanded learning, we can shape legislation and ensure every child is given the same chance in their pursuit of knowledge and personal growth."

About Think Together
Think Together partners with schools and communities to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. As a nonprofit organization, Think Together innovates, implements and scales academic solutions that change the odds for hundreds of thousands of California students. Think Together's program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for teachers and school administrators. For more information, call (888) 485-THINK or visit www.thinktogether.org

SOURCE Think Together