This is a great time for the after school movement.  National, state and local legislators are increasingly taking note of the benefits and importance of after school programming.  This past weekend, I was in Washington, DC at a Congressional Caucus and along with discussions around the presidential debate, the $700 billion dollar bailout and the health crisis was quality after school programming.
 
We know that after school programming has been around for over 125 years, yet funding and support remains tenuous. We know that the hours between 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. are peak periods of youth experimentation in anti-social behavior. We also know that this can be countered by providing quality after school programs.
 
There is an adage which says, "Faith without works is dead." It is with this in mind that, I encourage each of us to continue advocating and educating policymakers to the need, importance and benefits of quality after school programming. Herein, it is our absolute duty and our right to use what I call the "vowel strategy" Advocate, Educate, Inform, Organize and Unify those who represent us and are making decisions in the best interest of us, 'the people'.
 
Over the next two months, two major events in the movement are: Lights on After School and The After School Experience Conference (TASE).
 
On October 16th, all across America, small towns and big cities will aglow, as we celebrate the 9th Annual Lights On Afterschool. New York really knows how to showboat, as The Empire State Building will be lit up in yellow again this year.