State Announces $11.5M Afterschool Initiative

Lt. Gov. Davis calls afterschool programs crucial to reducing violence

By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim
The Tube City Almanac
July 23, 2024
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a native of McKeesport, talks to children playing Monday at the city’s LaRosa Youth Club. Also shown is state Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin. (Photo courtesy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Media Services)

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said that as a young man growing up in McKeesport, afterschool programs at the LaRosa Youth Club gave a lot to him and other youth.

On Monday, he came back to the club to announce plans for the state to give something back.

Davis was at LaRosa Youth Club to announced a planned $11.5 million investment in afterschool programs across Pennsylvania to help address the rise of gun violence among young people.

Also in attendance were Pennsylvania State Sen. Jim Brewster, state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, and McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko, who was one of Davis’ teachers in elementary school, as well as several members of city council.

Davis said afterschool programs “keep kids safe during the critical hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.,” the hours when — statistically — juveniles are most likely to be involved in violent crimes.

McKeesport Councilman Jim Barry Jr., executive director of the LaRosa Youth Development Foundation, speaks to the media on Monday. (Photo courtesy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Media Services)

The $11.5 million investment is part of a program called the Building Opportunity through Out-of-School Time (BOOST) program. Its aim is to reduce gun violence by occupying children with learning opportunities during those critical afterschool hours where gun violence is most probable.

“Every year that we go back to the budget table, we have to fight for programs,” Davis said. “This is the first time that we're making this investment, and so my hope is that will demonstrate there’s a significant need in Pennsylvania for afterschool programs, and when we go back to the budget negotiation table next year, that we'll be able to fight and secure an increase.”

Davis called the BOOST proposal a test case to prove that the state should continue making these kinds of investments.

The LaRosa Club is located at the former site of the McKeesport Boys & Girls Club, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened exactly one year later under the auspices of the independent McKeesport-based LaRosa Youth Development Foundation.

State Sen. Jim Brewster (Photo courtesy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Media Services)

“Not only here in Pennsylvania, but across the country, our youth are faced with countless challenges that they must overcome as they grow into productive citizens,” Brewster said in a statement. “Community institutions like this club make a difference in children’s lives on a daily basis. They are here to play, learn, and build relationships that will last a lifetime.”

Gergely, in a release, called the need for programs such as BOOST “absolutely undeniable. The LaRosa Youth Club is an example of what these programs can achieve. With this additional funding, they can expand their reach.”

Davis said that regardless of who is elected president in November, the state will continue to make investments in public education and afterschool programs.

“In this last budget, the governor [Josh Shapiro] and I made a historic investment,” Davis said. “More money in our public school system than ever has been made before in our commonwealth’s history. So I’m confident that we have a secure public school system.”

During his speech, Davis cited a 2021 report by the Joint State Government Commission that estimated that the return on investment for afterschool programs in Pennsylvania is $6.69 for every $1 spent. The same report, when calculating using data from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, estimated that the return on investment could reach as high as $8.50 per $1 invested.

According to Pew Research Center, the number of children in the U.S. killed by gun violence, including homicides, suicides and accidents, increased by 50 percent from 2019 to 2021.

McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko (Photo courtesy Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Media Services)

Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim is a freelance writer from Pittsburgh and a recent Penn State University graduate. He won a Golden Quill award for his work at the Penn State Greater Allegheny Gazette.

Originally published July 23, 2024.

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