Nearly 200 advocates including students, educators, community leaders, policymakers, business leaders and others will come together this afternoon in the Pennsylvania capital to highlight the importance of afterschool and out-of-school time youth development. The event is part of the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Advocacy Day.

For every Pennsylvania child enrolled in an afterschool program, there are two more who are not and whose parents would enroll their child, if a program were available.In Pennsylvania, 85 percent of parents support public funding for afterschool programs, and that support crosses all political party and geographic lines.Co-chairs Sens. John Yudichak, D-14, and Ryan Aument, R-36, and Reps. Mindy Fee, R-37, and Jake Wheatley, D-39, will announce the formation of a bicameral bipartisan Afterschool Caucus whose purpose will be to provide education, policy development, research and periodic briefings on pertinent issues confronting and relating to the commonwealth's afterschool infrastructure.Dasia Smith, a senior at Braddock Hills High School in Pittsburgh and Molly Oken, a senior at Central Dauphin High School in the Harrisburg area will speak at the rally about the impact of afterschool programs and why they believe programs are important for young people of all ages.