This Valentine’s Day, 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. This year, tell the world why you, your students, and your community love your afterschool program!
How to participate
It’s easy:
- Print this PDF page or JPG image and fill it out (and have parents and students do so too!) See pictures of the finished product below.
- 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 @TNAfterschool and @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 (http://afterschoolalliance.org/socialmedialookup.cfm). And when you’re done, mail the finished templates to your member of Congress’ district office. Find your member of Congress here (http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/).
Graphics
Save and share these graphics under the hashtag #IHeartAfterschool! Simply right click each photo and select “Save image as…” to download.
Draft social media copy
- #AfterschoolWorks for us! We love afterschool because [add student response]. #IHeartAfterschool @TNAfterschool @afterschool4all
- 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 @TNAfterschool @afterschool4all
- We couldn’t imagine not having [Program Name] after school to look forward to! #IHeartAfterschool @TNAfterschool @afterschool4all
- We love our [Program Name] students! See how #AfterschoolWorks for them! #IHeartAfterschool @TNAfterschool @afterschool4all
- We’re spreading the love for afterschool by sharing what we <3 about [Program Name]! #IHeartAfterschool @TNAfterschool @afterschool4all
- 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 @TNAfterschool @afterschoolalliancedc
Tennessee-specific tweets
Send a message to your members of Congress (http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/) with a message customized with data about afterschool in Tennessee! Find the data you need here from the Tennessee fact sheet (http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/TN-afterschool-facts.pdf).
- @[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 funding for afterschool. Thank you to all the afterschool staff & providers who 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.