On Monday, February 14, share some of the reasons afterschool is close to your heart with your friends, family, and community.
There are millions of reasons to love afterschool. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire learning, and help working families. Tell the world why you, your students, and your community love your afterschool program!
Elevate Youth Voices
In addition to the inspiring stories we hear from afterschool programs every year, this year we’re encouraging young people to share why they love afterschool! We’re asking afterschool youth to tell us what they think, feel, appreciate, or miss about their afterschool programs. Young people age 13 and up are invited to share their views in writing, videos, or art pieces through our Youth Voice Story Collection survey.
How to participate
It’s easy:
- Print the next page, fill it out (and have parents and students do so!)
- Snap a photo of the finished product (or a selfie of you and your message)
- Upload it to your favorite social media sites with the hashtag #IHeartAfterschool and tag @afterschool4all, or simply share an afterschool photo or message of your own using the hashtag. Check below for some sample messages.
And you’re done! Follow the hashtag and see how other afterschool programs are showing their love. Want to magnify your impact? Personalized messages resonate with policymakers. Find and tag your representatives with this simple tool. And when you’re done, mail the finished templates to your member of Congress’ district office. Find your member of Congress here.
Graphics
Save and share these graphics under the hashtag #IHeartAfterschool! Simply click each graphic to download. Social Media texts are below the graphics.
Draft social media copy
- #AfterschoolWorks for us! We love afterschool because [add student response]. #IHeartAfterschool @afterschool4all Tweet
- Why do we love afterschool? It gives our youth a chance to share their voice! Look at what these [Program Name] students have to say about why they <3 afterschool! #IHeartAfterschool @afterschool4all Tweet
- We couldn’t imagine not having [Program Name] after school to look forward to! #IHeartAfterschool @afterschool4all Tweet
- We love our [Program Name] students! See how #AfterschoolWorks for them! #IHeartAfterschool @afterschool4all Tweet
- We’re spreading the love for afterschool by sharing what we <3 about [Program Name]! #IHeartAfterschool @afterschool4all Tweet
- We’re joining hundreds of afterschool programs around the country by showing our love for afterschool for Valentine’s Day! Why do we <3 afterschool? Just see what [Program Name] students had to say! #IHeartAfterschool @afterschoolalliancedc
State-specific tweets
Send a message to your members of Congress with a message customized with data about afterschool in your state! Get a TN fact sheet here or visit the TN After 3 P.M. Data here.
- @[rephandle], #AfterschoolWorks for the 179,897 kids in a program in Tennessee. But 263,754 are still waiting for a spot. This Valentine’s Day we want more funding! #IHeartAfterschool
- #IHeartAfterschool because #AfterschoolWorks for the 86% of Tennessee parents who support public funding for afterschool. Thank you to all the afterschool staff & providers that take care of our kids!
Get creative
You don’t just have to use the printable. If you or your students have another idea to show off why they love afterschool, we want to see those, too! A few possibilities:
- Encourage students to express themselves through art by illustrating their love for afterschool with a drawing or painting.
- Have youth participate in a festive Valentine’s Day science, engineering, or math project.
- Get kids moving around with an active Valentine’s Day-themed game.