U.S. Will Turn the Lights On for Afterschool With Events in Every State Thursday

Find a Rally in Your Community!

On Thursday, a million people will join approximately 8,000 events taking place in every part of the country to show their support for the afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and give working families peace of mind that their children are supervised and learning after the school days ends. The 26th annual Lights On Afterschool, organized again this year by the Afterschool Alliance, will include student showcases and performances, academic contests, student films, art displays, walks and runs, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) demonstrations, discussions, visits from public officials, open houses, and more as programs showcase the skills students hone and the talents they develop at their afterschool programs.

Superstar USHER is Honorary Chair of Lights On Afterschool again this year.

From Niagara Falls in upstate New York to the Frederick Douglass Bridge in Washington, D.C. to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, and in many other places, buildings, bridges, and other landmarks will be lit in yellow and blue for afterschool this week.

A representative sample of Lights On Afterschool events around the country is here. To find more events, see this map.

Lights On Afterschool this year comes as federal funding for afterschool is uncertain. A massive public outcry in July led the Trump Administration to release – rather than withhold – the FY2025 funds Congress had appropriated for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the chief federal funding stream for afterschool and summer learning programs. But the Administration has recommended defunding the program in this fiscal year; Congress has yet to finalize the FY2026 budget.

According to a 2025 study,

the parents of 29.6 million children, more than half the school-age kids in the country, want afterschool programs for their children – but less than 7 million are currently enrolled. Another 22.6 million children would attend an afterschool program if it were available. That means three in four kids whose parents want afterschool programs for them (77%), including many in middle- and low-income families, are being left behind. Cost and accessibility are the barriers many families cannot overcome. It’s no wonder that 89% of parents favor public funding for these programs. Ninety-five percent of parents with children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the program their child attends.

Clear Channel Outdoor is a proud supporter of Lights On Afterschool 2025.

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.