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3 after-school programs Michigan students (and parents) should know about

By Lucas Henkel

December 17, 2024

“Out-of-school time programs” (OST) aren’t just keeping students busy before and after the school day and over school breaks—they’re helping them gain tools to succeed.

The local families you’ll meet below will tell you what the statistics confirm: Children who attend out-of-school-time (OST) programs are more likely to experience improvements in their performance at school, in their behavior, and have a higher earning potential as adults.

Over the past few years, voters in Michigan have elected former educators into state government—who have prioritized student success in their policies. Just one result has been more public school districts developing OST programs that work for more kids in the Mitten. 

In 2024, The ‘Gander took a look at successful OST programs. Read on to find out who’s running some of the state’s best, and what qualities you might want to ask for if lobbying your own local school district for better OST options. 

WATCH: How after school programs are helping Michigan’s students succeed

Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor

As a single mom working multiple jobs, LaToya Turner of Benton Harbor worried that finding after-school childcare that would enhance her son’s growth and education would be tough to come by.

“I was a little picky about where my son went and who he was around. Trust is huge with parents,” LaToya said. She fondly remembers the first day that she and her then 6-year-old son, Eric, walked into the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor (BGCBH). 

“The minute I walked him through the doors, everyone was loving and kind,” LaToya said. “So I signed him up, paid the money, got a tour, and when I came back an hour later, [Eric] was not ready to leave. He was like, ‘No, I have friends here.’”

As Eric grew, so did an interest in working out. So he joined BGCBH’s Healthy Lifestyles program, in addition to the program Passport to Manhood, where he and other young men learned to build confidence and life skills, like how to tie a tie, change a tire, and proper etiquette. 

“Without a shadow of a doubt, the Boys & Girls Club played a huge role in the success of my son,” LaToya said.

READ MORE: After-school programs may be a game changer for Michigan students

Leelanau Investing for Teens Center (LIFT)

Middle school is notoriously a weird time in any kid’s life. For the kids who went to middle school during the pandemic, those early teen years were especially complicated.   

“It was a really weird time. It was so isolating and I lost contact with a lot of people,” said Niklas Carman, of Suttons Bay. With his older siblings out of the house and minimal opportunities to hang out with kids his age, Nik spent a lot of the pandemic alone with his guitar. 

“He used to play professionally, really, as a little kid, but he never had kids his own age to play music with,” said Nik’s mom, Monica Carman, adding that her son just wanted to find his community.

When COVID-19 restrictions eased and Nik began attending Greenspire High School in Traverse City, he made friends with other musically inclined students. One of those friends told him about an after-school program that hosted a weekly jam session for students and community members.

After attending his first community band jam session at the Leelanau Investing for Teens Center (LIFT), Nik knew he was in the right place.

LIFT is a free after-school program for the area’s sixth through twelfth  grade students. The center partners with local public schools in Leelanau County—including Suttons Bay, Northport, and Glen Lake—to provide academic tutoring, mental health support, leadership skills, and more to students five days a week.

“If I never went to LIFT, I wouldn’t have had a lot of cool experiences and wouldn’t have met a lot of good people,” said Nik.

“He’s more confident with himself, more comfortable with himself, more willing to participate…I think he really recognizes the positive influence they’ve had on him, and he knows that they’re going to be there if he needs them and I think that’s really huge,” said Monica. 

READ MORE: How Nik and his classmates across Michigan are succeeding post-COVID

Luc’s Light Youth Music & Arts Foundation

After tragically losing his younger brother, Luc, to suicide, Grand Rapids resident Trino Schincariol says he and his family are “making beauty from broken” as they develop after-school programming for kids in southwest Michigan. 

Luc’s Light Youth Music & Arts Foundation is a free after-school program that gives teens in  tools and training to explore their creative interests in a safe and supportive environment. 

The program was established in January of 2022—less than a year after Luc’s death.

“Our family, we say we’re making ‘beauty from broken’ doing this—making sure that kids know that they have a place to go,” Trino said.

The Van Buren Intermediate School District—home to Luc’s alma mater, Paw Paw High School—also sees the goodness Luc’s Light brings to the region. They’ve partnered to connect the organization with band, choir, and theater directors in the county who are interested in volunteering to teach students.

“They’ve been amazing helping us push this out, getting this in front of the right students,” Trino said.

In 2025, Luc’s Light will be opening its first permanent location at 507 W. Michigan Ave. in Paw Paw, according to a press release

READ MORE: An after-school program in Southwest Michigan is shining a ‘light’ on the mental health of students

Author

  • Lucas Henkel

    Lucas Henkel is a multimedia reporter who strives to inform and inspire local communities. Before joining The 'Gander, Lucas served as a journalist for the Lansing City Pulse.

CATEGORIES: EDUCATION

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