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A girl pours red sand into a lightbulb.

The Lights On After School national event to recognize and celebrate quality afterschool programs occurred at more than 8,000 programs throughout the country on Oct. 24, including in Thornton, Pueblo and Grand Junction. 

Research has shown that quality afterschool programs can provide enriched activities that focus on physical, emotional social and intellectual well-being within a safe and positive environment. The Oct. 24 event drew 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.

About 40 parents at the Adams 12 PEAK Learning Centers program at Thornton Elementary School joined 66 students during the event for a variety of activities, including filling light bulbs with sand, adding paper cutouts of their hands to a large lightbulb and playing games that reinforced math skills.

Their program began with a needs assessment to find out how to best serve the families in their community, said Stephanie Hansen, extended learning manager for Adams, 12 Five Star Schools. As a result, parent engagement became a large component of the PEAK Learning Centers program.

“Kids are learning these incredible skills during the regular school day, and they need an opportunity to practice those skills in authentic ways and be able to apply that learning in fun and engaging ways,” Hansen said. 

The Adams 12 PEAK Learning Centers receives funding through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers competitive grant program, a federal grant administered by the Colorado Department of Education.

See more photos from Thornton Elementary School’s Lights On After School event on Flickr.