Students in Lehigh Carbon Community College’s after school SHINE program in Palmerton had a chance to show off their real world skills Tuesday during a visit from members of the Pennsylvania House After School Caucus.

State Reps. Doyle Heffley, who serves Carbon County, and Elizabeth Fielder, who serves part of Philadelphia County, spent about two hours at Parkside Education Center, where they saw a prototype Dr. Seuss-themed miniature golf course developed by students in a cross-curricular project.

“Sometimes things in education come in with the tide and go out with the tide, but the SHINE program here has been around for quite some time and I think that shows the value everyone puts on it,” Palmerton Superintendent Dr. Jodi Frankelli said. “When kids are in structured educational programs, we know they are in a safe place, a loving place and a place where they are valued and respected.”

The bipartisan caucus was formed to highlight the need for accessible, affordable, high quality youth development options outside of the hours of the standard school day.

“After school programs, like the SHINE Program here in Carbon County, focus on hands-on learning helping students with homework and after school projects,” Heffley, co-chair of the after school caucus, said. “The successes of this program are reflective in a student’s grade-point average and classroom participation. Students are also able to learn about and participate in STEM programs. I support the expansion of quality and accountable after school programs.”

Students in the elementary SHINE program are referred by their classroom teacher, guidance counselor or principal. SHINE has more than tripled the number of children served in Carbon and Schuylkill counties since it launched in 2002.

During development of the miniature golf course, students in Palmerton showcased their understanding of engineering, physics, economics and creativity.

“This is a very low-key environment compared to the academic rigor we sometimes see during the day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” S.S. Palmer and Parkside Principal Ralph Andrews said. “Kids can come here and kind of dive into some other things. The STEM component we might not always get to during their school day, we can dive into that here and really expand their knowledge. This is their time to be creative.”

The caucus stop in Palmerton is part of a statewide tour of programs that offer out-of-school-time services.

Research for Action recently completed an analysis of the need and benefit of after school programming in Pennsylvania. The research found these programs to be enormously beneficial in communities statewide, but woefully underfunded.

“The data paints a clear picture: the programs we have work, and we need more of them,” said Rachel Miller, Director of SHINE Carbon/Schuylkill Counties. “The legislators that have formed this caucus are champions of this cause already and we hope what they see on this tour will encourage them to take stories back to their colleagues in Harrisburg.”

SHINE is supported by a number of statewide 21st Century Learning grants.

A 2021 evaluation of Pennsylvania’s 21st CCLC programs by the Pennsylvania Department of Education showed improvement in student reading grades by 31% and math grades by 33% from fall to spring. According to teacher surveys, regular participants improved homework completion by 76%, class participation by 75%, class behavior by 64%, and volunteering in class by 61%. Additionally, nearly half of regular attendees improved their school-day attendance.

“We are definitely seeing grade, social skill and leadership improvement in the students participating in the program,” Eileen Long, a Palmerton instructional assistant and SHINE program instructor, said.

While SHINE’s program has taken off, officials said the story is not the same across the state.

“Quality after school and summer programs are too rare in Pennsylvania, and the skilled professionals that run these programs are so underpaid and underappreciated that they often can’t afford to stay in the profession,” Fiedler said. “That’s why I’m fighting for dedicated, recurring funding from the state.”

Other upcoming schools in the tour include the Sunrise of Philadelphia program at Southwark Elementary School, and Bedford Middle School.