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  • About
    • Afterschool in Hawai‘i
    • Partners
    • In the News
    • Donate
    • Staff
    • Contact Us
  • Take Action
    • American Rescue Plan
  • Community Schools
    • State Coalition for Community Schools
  • Resources
    • Afterschool Database >
      • A+ Subsidies
    • Entrepreneur Education
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Health and Wellness
    • Quality Guidelines
    • Racial Equity
    • STEM >
      • Million Girls Moonshot
      • Transformative Practices >
        • Engineering Mindset
        • Equity & Inclusion Framework
        • Role Models, Mentors, & Families
        • Transitions and Pathways
      • Training Opportunities
    • Summer >
      • Summer Programs 2022
    • More...
  • Events & Training
    • ‘Aha Lōkahi: Hawai‘i CommUNITY Conference
    • Lights On Afterschool 2022
    • OST Community Meetings
    • Previous Events

News Archive

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Kaiser Awards $150K in Grants to Two Hawaii Nonprofits for Keiki COVID-19 Education
September 27, 2021 | Star Advertiser | PDF
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has awarded grants totaling $150,000 to two Hawaii nonprofits to help them increase awareness about COVID-19 and vaccine safety among school-aged youth in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.


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Afterschool-care Providers Overwhelmed
September 8, 2021 | Paula Adams | Star Advertiser | PDF
Hawai‘i's biggest afterschool providers are facing a staffing crunch, and it's creating havoc for thousands of families across the islands. At last count, more than 3,425 keiki were on afterschool waiting lists at five of the state's biggest afterschool providers.



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Families Struggle to Find Childcare, Shortage of Workers at A+ Afterschool Programs 
Septmeber 1, 2021 | KITV4 | Video
The pandemic has exacerbated worker shortages for afterschool programs in Hawai’i. This lack of capacity has led to huge waiting lists at afterschool programs like the A+ Program, leaving families struggling to find childcare during out-of-school time hours.


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Here’s How Hawaii Schools Plan To Spend $412 Million In New Aid
August 8, 2021 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat | PDF
The Hawai‘i Department of Education plans to offer individual tutoring, academic coaching and summer school counseling to help struggling students amid the coronavirus crisis with the latest round of federal funding received through the American Rescue Plan.


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​How Hawai‘i Schools Are Weaving Connections With Pacific Islander Students
June 29, 2021 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat | PDF
​A new arts pilot program at two Honolulu-area middle schools demonstrates how cultural programming can foster better ties. ​The middle schoolers watched as Jendrick Paul, founder and executive director of the Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii, demonstrated how to create a basket out of the thick leaves.


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Online map helps Hawai‘i parents find summer learning programs for their kids
May 31, 2021 | StarAdvertiser | PDF
Parents looking for summer learning programs to help children rebound from the pandemic can explore options through an interactive website created by the Hawai‘i Afterschool Alliance.


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New Website Helps Parents Find Summer Learning Opportunities for Children
May 16, 2021 | Maui Now | PDF
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The Hawai’i Afterschool Alliance launched a new website to help parents find suitable summer learning programs for children in grades K-12. The website features an interactive map with information on program offerings and on how to enroll.


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Summer School Offers Kids A ‘Last Chance’ To Catch Up Before New School Year
May 14, 2021 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat | PDF
Federal relief money enabled Hawai‘i to offer summer school for free this year to help students overcome pandemic-related setbacks.


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Child Advocacy Groups Hope to Fill Gaps in Services Amid Steep Budget Cuts
February 2, 2021 | Ashley Mizuo | Hawai‘i Public Radio | PDF

The state faces steep budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic--and that may include education. Children advocacy groups hope to fill the gaps in services and find new ways to generate funds for those programs. A top concern for advocates is how COVID-19 has highlighted inequalities for Hawai‘i’s children.


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 Purpose Pals: Online program creates intergenerational friendships amid the COVID-19 pandemic 
January 6, 2021 | Kristy Tamashiro | KHON2 News Broadcast | PDF
A new program that launched in Hawai‘i is aiming to build intergenerational friendships at the click of a mouse. Purpose Pals allows young adults and kupuna to lean on each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.


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​Hawai‘i behind on afterschool programs
​December 16, 2020 | Jenn Masutani | Star Advertiser Article | PDF
Eleven years ago, Hawai‘i was a national leader when it came to afterschool programs, a designation reflecting high rates of participation and parental satisfaction, based on data in the “Afterschool Alliance’s America After 3PM 2009” report. We slid to 10th in 2014 and in data released this month, we’re now 17th — better than most, but no longer a national leader.

Lights on Afterschool 2020
October 20, 2020 | Nightly News Segment with KHON2
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KHON2 News featured the Hawai‘i Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Paula Adams to talk about the Lights On Afterschool campaign, on October 22, 2020.
more 2020 lights on afterschool

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​Hawai‘i Parents Grapple with Lack of Flexible Work Hours if Children Do Not Return to School
July 23, 2020 | Ashley Mizuo | Hawai‘i Public Radio Broadcast and Script | PDF
About 60% of Hawai‘i parents said in a survey, their employer would not offer flexible hours to meet their children’s school and child care schedule. HI-CAN’s director of public policy, Kathleen Algire said parents are faced with the hard choice of going to work or watching their kids.

As keiki prepare to learn via distance learning, some parents are struggling to find child care
July 22, 2020 | Nicole Tam | KITV4 Article | PDF
"We know we work better when we know that our kids are safe. We have a peace of mind, knowing our kids are not getting in trouble, they're learning and taken care of. If you're constantly thinking about what your kids are doing, you can't be an effective worker," Paula Adams, Hawai‘i Afterschool Alliance executive director, said.
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Hawai‘i's afterschool, summer programs matter
July 14, 2020 | Paula Adams | Star Advertiser Article | PDF
One key to the success of the gradual reopening of Hawai‘i’s economy is child care. Working parents, including those looking for jobs, need to know their children are safe and constructively engaged, if our economy is to recover from this COVID-19 storm.

​Teachers, Just Like Other Working Parents, Are In A Bind Over Lack of Child Care
June 10, 2020 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat | PDF
Many child care centers have shuttered, delayed reopening or increased tuition due to the pandemic. That leaves many teachers who need to return to their classrooms with few options for their kids.
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Youth rally nationwide for after-school programs
October 17, 2019 | Star-Advertiser Staff | Website | Newspaper Clipping 
Joining other students across the nation, Hawaii youth will gather Wednesday to celebrate programs that enrich their lives when the school day is done. Lights On Afterschool will bring together members of the After-School All-Stars, YMCA of Honolulu, Kama‘aina Kids, Moiliili Community Center and other programs at the state Capitol rotunda.

Rally will help celebrate afterschool programs in Hawaii
October 14, 2016 | Hawaii News Now | News Segment & Article | PDF
The Hawaii Afterschool Alliance will join the Afterschool Alliance in this year's Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide series of events celebrating and supporting afterschool programs, on October 19.
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​Trump budget hurts afterschool programs

March 24, 2019 | Paula Adams | Honolulu Star-Advertiser | Newspaper Clipping
​Some 6,500 children in Hawaii would lose their afterschool program, if the budget proposal the president sent to Congress on March 11 makes it into law. 

Nonprofits Protest Coco-Cola's Sponsorship of the Great Aloha Run
February 11, 2019 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat Article | PDF
The soda brand's involvement sends an unhealthy message, say the groups who helped operate an affiliated event for kids. Now they'll have their own fun run. 
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As the e-cigarette epidemic continues some Hawaii teens are taking a stand against tobacco
January 25, 2019 | KITV Web Staff | Article | PDF
As the e-cigarette epidemic continues to spread across the nation, some teens in Hawaii are taking a stand against big tobacco. "Vaping is a gateway to using traditional cigarettes," Alexis Cortes of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii said.

Hawaii Afterschool Alliance Partnering with Kama‘aina Kids
September 7, 2018 | HINow | Video
Great afterschool programs make a difference for a lot of working families and their keiki and for this reason Kama‘aina Kids is partnering with Hawaii Afterschool Alliance to host a summit in October that aims to improve these very important programs.
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Study: Few Hawaii Students Have Access to After-School Meals
April 19, 2018 | Suevon Lee | Civil Beat Article | PDF
Hawaii outshines most other states when it comes to providing after-school programs for elementary-age kids. But there’s one area where it seriously lags behind: serving meals during those hours to low-income children, according to a new national study.

Hawaii in bottom 3 when it comes to providing after-school supper
April 13, 2018 | Kirsten Johnson | Hawaii Tribune-Herald Article | PDF
“Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation” shows 1 in 300 Hawaii keiki who ate free or reduced-priced school lunch in 2016 also ate after-school supper. The national average was 15 students having supper for every 300 who ate free or reduced-priced school lunch. Hawaii’s low supper participation placed it in the bottom three states.
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Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation 2018 Afterschool Nutrition Report
March 2018 | Food Research and Action Center | PDF
The federal Afterschool Nutrition Programs are an important source of federal funds that allow children to receive a supper and a snack alongside educational and enrichment programs in the hours after school ends. 

President renew ominous push to kill afterschool funding
March 6, 2018 | Paula Adams and Jodi Grant | Star-Advertiser Photo
Not one penny. That's what President Donald Trump included for afterschool programs in the budget his administration just proposed for fiscal year 2019. 

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After months in limbo, after-school program gets some good news
September 15, 2017 | Kirsten Johnson | Hawaii Tribune Herald Article | PDF
A federal after-school program that has been on the chopping block is now almost certain to stay in the 2018-19 school year. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program has been in limbo since March when President Donald Trump proposed to cut it in his 2018 fiscal budget.

Congress urged to keep funding afterschool programs in Hawaii
April 11, 2017 | Kirsten Johnson | Hawaii Tribune Herald Article | PDF
The Afterschool Alliance sent a letter to Congress on Monday urging lawmakers to reject President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to eliminate after-school programs for 6,000 Hawaii students.
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Congress should reject Trumps' budget proposal
April 5, 2017 | Paula Adams | The Maui News Article | PDF
The recent budget proposal from the White House included a shocker: The president wants to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, the main federal funding stream for afterschool programs.

Student program face cuts: Budget could end after-school care
March 17, 2017 | Kirsten Johnson | Hawaii Tribune Herald Article | PDF
At least 6,000 Hawaii students — including more than 1,000 on the Big Island — could be without after-school care if President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 fiscal budget were to take effect as is.
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President's budget proposal includes significant cuts to hawaii programs, services
March 17, 2017 | Ashley Nagaoka | Hawaii News Now Article | PDF
The Trump Administration unveiled its $1.1 trillion dollar budget proposal Thursday, saying it refocuses on the nation's priorities, while eliminating wasteful spending.


Convenience store robbery reminds us of need for afterschool programs
July 10, 2016 | Paula Adams | Star-Advertiser | PDF
The recent furor over repeated robberies of a Kalihi convenience store, allegedly perpetrated by several teenagers, has focused needed attention on juvenile crime. Because the crimes were so gratuitously violent, and because some of the subsequent commentary has been racially tinged — which is deeply disappointing — it’s been hard to move beyond the outrage to focus on the larger problem and its possible solutions.
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Help build a positive future for Hawaii's keiki
April 8, 2016 | Living808 | Video Clip
If your child is part of an afterschool program it is likely the program is part of the Hawaii Afterschool Alliance.



Senator Michelle Kidani: Mililani Neighborhood Board Report
November 2015 | Michelle Kidani | PDF
At right, the Hawaii Afterschool Alliance organized a State Capitol rally for more than 400 youngsters who participate in various enrichment programs after classroom hours through the year. I joined several of my colleagues from the Legislature, First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige and numerous parents and leaders for a wonderful program that showcased the initiative, creativity, enthusiasm and bright talents of Oahu’s students – all of whom benefit from such programs from A+ to the YMCA. The Hawaii rally was one of hundreds of National Afterschool Alliance events across the US to raise awareness of these important programs.
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Child care providers react to After School PLUS (A+) Program fee hikes
November 25, 2015 | KHON2 News | Video
We have been following this issue very closely, the rate hike for A+, afterschool care. How will it affect families?

Lights On Afterschool
October 26, 2015 | Living808 | Video
Paula Adams joins Living808 to discuss the importance of afterschool and summer learning programs and the upcoming celebration, Lights on Afterschool, to raise awareness for these programs.
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Support needed
September 11, 2015 | Paula Adams | Hawaii Tribune Herald | Photo of Article
With school back in swing, after-school programs got into gear too. 

After school, kids play, get healthier
March 16, 2015 | Paula Adams | Star-Advertiser Photo
One of the great joys of providing afterschool programs for kids is watching them at play. That's certainly not the only thing they do at our afterschool A+ programs. They get a healthy dose of homework help and other academic support. 

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Hawai‘i Afterschool Alliance
University of Hawai‘i
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808-956-6515
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