Candace Matthews (Sheffield) named Corporate Executive of the Year 2009 by Black Enterprise magazine. Candace has worked in a variety of marketing positions in companies that include The Coca-Cola Co., Procter & Gamble, and General Mills before serving as president of Soft Sheen–Carson, Consumer Products Division of L’Oreal USA for six years. Read More...

Private Industry Council sponsored a Lights on Afterschool! the rally in support of after school programs. PIC was one of 7,500 sites across the nation sending the message of the importance of after school experiences. Read More...

Penn State Beaver helps low-income youth DARE2XL! Among Pennsylvania school districts, the City of Aliquippa ranks second highest in the percentage of school-age children living in poverty. According to the latest Pennsylvania State Data Center statistics, this Beaver County district has a 43.2 percent child poverty rate in K–12 schools, nearly three times the statewide total of 15.7 percent. Read More...

DARE2XL program helps Beaver County's low-income youths! DARE2XL, which stands for Dream, Aspire, Reach and Excel, is an innovative after-school program in Beaver County. It provides first-through eighth-grade children in low-income housing with a motivational environment for learning study skills, and developing self-esteem. Read More...

DARE2XL - The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) periodically recognizes programs that are innovative and that make a significant impact on communities. The “After School Enrichment Program” operated by TAME, Inc., administered by Geneva College, and assisted with funds through the Community Development Block Grant Program, has received such an honor. The program was showcased nationally as a one-of-a-kind model for motivating students to learn by providing a supportive atmosphere to do homework and other educational activities after school. Read More...

Since 2004, the National Center has been visiting a wide range of afterschool program sites—both 21st Century Community Learning Centers and others— that have demonstrated a positive effect on student achievement. In these visits, staff conduct interviews and observations to identify and document promising practices in one of six key content areas: literacy, mathematics, science, the arts, technology, or homework help. Studying these practices, as well as general program characteristics that support their implementation, helps build a better understanding of how programs can successfully integrate academic content into their overall activities. Read More...