Newsroom

East Moline/Quad Cities’ Dothard-Campbell Chosen One of Just 18 ‘Afterschool Ambassadors’ in the Nation This Year

WASHINGTON, DC / AGILITYPR.NEWS / December 16, 2020 / Teresa Dothard-Campbell Will Work in Illinois to Raise Awareness About and Increase Access to Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs

 

The Afterschool Alliance announced today that Teresa Dothard-Campbell, Nita M Lowey 21st CCLC Federal Grant Site Coordinator at the Glenview Middle School’s Lights ON for Learning Program, has been selected to serve as an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance in 2020-2021. She is one of just 18 leaders in the United States chosen for the honor this year. Afterschool Ambassadors continue their work at local afterschool programs while serving the one-year Afterschool Ambassador term, organizing public events, communicating with policy makers and community leaders, and in other ways increasing awareness and support for afterschool and summer learning programs.

 

“We are so pleased that Teresa Dothard-Campbell will serve as an Afterschool Ambassador this year,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “With the pandemic increasing the need for quality afterschool and summer learning programs so dramatically, we need strong advocates who have their fingers on the pulse of their communities. Teresa will do a terrific job mobilizing community and business leaders, parents, policy makers, educators and others to send the message that afterschool programs are vital to our recovery from COVID-19. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and give families peace of mind that their children are safe, learning, and constructively engaged while parents are at work or looking for jobs.”

 

“I am delighted to work with the Afterschool Alliance to increase support for afterschool programs,” said Dothard-Campbell. “It’s a tremendously important issue in my community and state. In normal times, afterschool programs help young people succeed in school and in life, and support working families throughout Illinois. These days, we need to help children with academic, social and emotional needs created by the pandemic and support efforts to rebuild our economy. That makes these programs even more essential. I look forward to helping build support for the out-of-school-time opportunities all students need, now and over time.”

 

Teresa Dothard-Campbell manages the Lights ON for Learning program at Glenview Middle School, East Moline, IL in Rock Island County. The program serves an average of 250 students per year and is funded by a Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal grant, with the Rock Island Regional Office of Education serving as the fiscal agent.


Prior to Covid-19, the program provided afterschool tutoring through certified teachers and enrichment services to students in grades 5-8, and community partnerships, such as the Two Rivers YMCA, which provided a quality nutritious meal and snack to all students who attended in-person programming. Lights ON for Learning also partnered with day school staff to provide afterschool clubs such as Knitting, Lego, Book Club, and 3D Printing, to name a few. During Covid-19, creative programming continued over the summer with an online STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) Camp that allowed students to build their own rockets, learn how to code and invent items using common household materials, and an opportunity to create and share their stories through a listening library. After the school district went fully remote this year due to Covid-19, the program shifted to a fully remote program with tutoring available most afternoons, including, "Night Owls" tutoring until 8:00pm, two days a week and "Winning Weekends" with Saturday tutoring available to all registered students in the program. 

 

At the heart of Glenview's 21st CCLC Lights ON for Learning program are the quality community partnerships forged to provide new opportunities that bring adventure and learning to all students and address the individual social and emotional learning needs of those students who are continuing their journey of a growth mindset as they discover new possibilities for their futures. To learn more or to partner with the program, please contact Mrs. Dothard-Campbell via email at tcampbell@emsd37.org or by calling 309.755.1919 ext. 232.

 

Each Afterschool Ambassador will organize a major event for Lights On Afterschool, the Afterschool Alliance’s annual rally for afterschool, which will include events on or around Thursday, October 28, 2021.

 

The 2020-2021 Afterschool Ambassadors are:

 

  • Delaware: Ray Taylor, 4H After-school Program, Newark;
  • Florida: Nicole Carter, City of Hallandale Beach-Hepburn Center Afterschool Tutorial Enrichment Program, Hallandale Beach;
  • Florida: Kwamara Thompson, Palm Beach County Boys & Girls Clubs, Palm Beach (and Classroom, Inc., New York, NY);
  • Georgia: Tiffany Collie-Bailey, Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta, Marietta:
  • Georgia: Dr. Janice Flowers, Bibb County School District, Macon;
  • Illinois: Kenny Riley, Carole Robertson Center for Learning, Chicago;
  • Illinois: Teresa Dothard-Campbell, Lights ON for Learning – Glenview Middle School, East Moline;
  • Maine: Barrett Takesian, Portland Community Squash, Portland;
  • New Jersey: Darnell A. Scott, The Jointure, Rariton and Branchburg;
  • New York: Angela Todriff Mundy, Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area, Glens Falls;
  • New York: Stephanie Graf, Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Jefferson County, Watertown;
  • North Carolina: Emily Neff, WAMY Community Action, Inc. / Avery County Afterschool Program, Boone;
  • Ohio: Debbie Frison, 21st Century Community Learning Center Glenwood/Rosa Parks Elementary, Toledo;
  • Oregon: Amber Lomascola, Expanding Horizon Youth Center, Myrtle Creek;
  • Pennsylvania: Chuck Inverso, Neshaminy Kids Club, Langhorne;
  • South Carolina: Ray C. Funnye, The Village Group, Georgetown;
  • Wyoming: Shannon Christian, Worland Youth Learning Center, Worland;
  • Wyoming: Tiffany L Wutzke, Youth Clubs of Park County, Cody.

 

The America After 3PM household survey of more than 30,000 families, commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and released this month, finds that unmet demand for afterschool programs has reached an all-time high. For every child in an afterschool program in America today, three more are waiting to get in. The study finds significant inequities, with Black and Latinx children disproportionately without afterschool opportunities. Ninety-four percent of parents of afterschool students say they are satisfied with their child’s program.

 

A large and powerful body of evidence demonstrates improvements in grades, school attendance, behavior and more among children who participate in afterschool programs. Researchers have also found that students in afterschool programs are more engaged in school and excited about learning and develop critical work and life skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and communications.

About Us

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.    

 

Glenview Middle School’s 21st CCLC Lights ON for Learning programs provide exceptional programming in partnership with the entire East Moline District #37 community and Rock Island Regional Office of Education #49 to prepare all students and their families to become life-long learners by equipping them with educational opportunities; along with social, and emotional skills to be productive citizens now and in the future and encouraging them to be responsible members of our global community.

Contacts