Lights On Afterschool is celebrated annually to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America's children, families and communities across the country. This mini presentation teaches techniques for producing a quality event and how to effectively engage both policymakers and the media.

1. LifeSpan School and Daycare
2460 John Fries Hwy
Quakertown, PA 18951
(p) 267-347-0985
(f) 215.538.9435
Email: hmoyer@lq.org
www.lifespanchildcare.org
Getting Policymakers, Stakeholders, Media, Schools, and Families
INVOLVED

2. Know Your “NEW” District and Legislators

3. Dear Senator Mensch,
I would like to personally invite you to visit one of LifeSpan’s After School Programs on October 17th
.
LifeSpan’s Quakertown location serves six elementary schools, serving about 250 families. This summer we had a great
response with our camp enrollment and the families continuing with us through the 2013/2014 school year.
October 17 , 2013 will be the 13th
Annual Lights on Afterschool, as each of our programs are completely different and
adapted to the children and their families we would love for the congressman to come out and join us for the afternoon
and see what another program is about and how it operates.
Lights on Afterschool is a public event where we open our doors to the community and stakeholders for them to obtain a
better understanding of the importance of afterschool programs and keeping the children in a safe environment.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Heather
The Initial Out Reach and “Ask”/”Invitation
Heather L. Moyer
Director of School Age Programs and Summer Camp
LifeSpan
2460 John Fries Hwy
Quakertown, PA 18951
(p) 267-347-0985
(f) 215.538.9435
Email: hmoyer@lq.org
www.lifespanchildcare.org

4. Good afternoon Joe,
As we are all very busy, I just wanted to follow up with you per my prior email inviting the congressman to visit one of
LifeSpan’s After School Programs on October 17th
.
As discussed during the visit, LifeSpan’s Quakertown location serves six elementary schools, serving about 250 families. This
summer we had a great response with our camp enrollment and the families continuing with us through the 2013/2014
school year.
October 17 , 2013 will be the 13th
Annual Lights on Afterschool, as each of our programs are completely different and
adapted to the children and their families we would love for the congressman to come out and join us for the afternoon
and see what another program is about and how it operates. Lights on Afterschool is a public event where we open our
doors to the community and stakeholders for them to obtain a better understanding of the importance of afterschool
programs and keeping the children in a safe environment.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Heather
Heather L. Moyer
Director of School Age Programs and Summer Camp
LifeSpan
2460 John Fries Hwy
Quakertown, PA 18951
(p) 267-347-0985
(f) 215.538.9435
Email: hmoyer@lq.org
www.lifespanchildcare.org
Always Follow Up, Do NOT Be Forgotten

5. Know Your Policymakers/Who They Are/Where They Are From/ Committees etc.
Senator Bob Mensch
Pennsylvania State Senator Bob Mensch represents the constituents of the 24th District (including parts of Berks, Bucks and Montgomery
counties) bringing to the state Senate more than 35 years of business and management experience, coupled with political leadership and public
service.
Senator Mensch serves as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Senate Public
Health and Welfare Committee. He is a member of four other Senate committees: Aging and Youth; Appropriations; Game and Fisheries; and
Intergovernmental Operations. He co-chairs the Senate Economy, Business and Jobs Caucus and the Community College Caucus. He also chairs
the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, which conducts studies and makes recommendations aimed at eliminating unnecessary
government spending.
Bob’s top legislative priority is ensuring the Commonwealth has economic development and tax policies that promote economic expansion and
job creation and make Pennsylvania the place where business and industry want to be and individuals want to live. Bob is also committed to
farmland and open space preservation, as well as improving transportation infrastructure both within the 24th District and throughout the
state.
Prior to his election to the state Senate, Bob served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 147th Legislative District. He worked
on issues relating to telecommunications, prescription drug theft, unemployment compensation, alternative energy system tax credits, and
permanent tax credits for volunteer emergency responders. In addition to committee assignments, Bob was selected and appointed by the
Speaker of the House to the Children’s Trust Fund Board, the Speaker’s Task Force on Crime and Violence, the Commonwealth Debt Task Force,
the Energy Task Force, and the Select Committee on Information Security.
Bob previously served as a Marlborough Township Supervisor, and during his time as Chairman led successful efforts to preserve over 100 acres
within the township. He was Chairman of the Upper Perkiomen Regional Planning Commission, where he began an initiative that implemented
multi-regional cooperation. He served in various leadership positions within the Upper Perkiomen Ambulance Association and transformed it
into a fiscally responsible enterprise. He served in the U.S. Army Engineers Reserve from 1966 to 1972.
As a husband, father, grandfather, executive and community leader, Bob understands the issues that are most important to the communities
and families of the 24th District. A native of Pennsburg and resident of Marlborough Township since 1975, Bob is married to his wife of over
four decades, JoAnn, who together have raised two children, and now enjoy being grandparents to grandson Zackary.

6. Know Your Policymaker’s Chief of Staff
Lisa A. Walter
Senator Mensch’s
Chief of Staff
Senator Mensch

7. Pfaff: STEM-Behind the Scenes Quakertown: GymBoom- Activity is a Habit you can Live With
Tohickon: Nourish - Build a Healthy Lifestyle Richland: Innovative Art to Music –Setting Your Expression Free
LifeSpan’s Afterschool Programs teach youth through implementing an emergent curriculum. The children learn through project based play.
See Pictures from Last Year's Event Here
Open House Activities displaying our fabulous programs will be offered on October 17, 2013 from 4-6pm at all six of our Afterschool Programs in the
Quakertown School District.
•Who: LifeSpan Before and After School Programs
•What: An open house event with food, fun and entertainment
•When: Thursday, October 17th, 2013 – 4pm until 6pm
•Where: All Four After School Programs in the Quakertown School District
•Why: Come and experience firsthand what fantastic activities the LifeSpan After School program is providing the youth of the Quakertown
Community School District.
Each location will be offering various activities where the children will showcase their talents for art, dance, sports, healthy eating habits and
STEM by providing participants with: Creative Art projects and displays, STEM activities; Direct Sports Activities; Teach Healthy Habits, offer
refreshments and MORE
Please RSVP with the location you will be visiting: hmoyer@lq.org
Learn more and support us please visit http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyAction.cfm
YOU ARE INVITED TO A CELEBRATION!
Please join LifeSpan and the Afterschool Alliance
to celebrate the importance of afterschool programs, October 17, 2013
Keep the Lights On Afterschool!
Celebrate Lights On Afterschool on Oct. 17, 2013!
Each October, 1 million Americans and thousands of communities nationwide celebrate Lights On Afterschool to shine a light on the afterschool
programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families.
In communities today, 15.1 million children take care of themselves after the school day ends. Afterschool programs keep children safe, help
working families and inspire learning. Join us, along with 7,500+ afterschool programs nationwide, in celebrating our afterschool programs.

8. Subject: Lights On Afterschool Oct 17, 2013 – Pfaff Elm Agenda
Lights On Afterschool Agenda October 17, 2013 Pfaff Elementary 4-6pm
Pfaff: STEM-Behind the Scenes
1600 Sleepy Hollow Road Quakertown PA
LifeSpan’s Afterschool Programs It is All About the Experience - Active Learners are Successful Learners
3:45pm – Students enrolled with LifeSpan’s after school program dismissed from school
4:00pm – Snack
4:15pm – Homework time and Robotics STEM program
4:30pm – Comments from Senator Mensch
5:00pm – Outside activity
5:30pm – Cleanup
6:00pm – Departure
Please RSVP with the location you will be visiting: hmoyer@lq.org
Scheduled attendees – to date: Senator Bob Mensch and office administration; TechStars instructor Hans Wagner; QCHS Video
Production teacher, Rickie Stein and QCSD-TV News Class; LifeQuest CFO Nancy Merriweather; LifeSpan Executive Director,
Nicole Fetherman; LifeQuest Director of Technology Michael McAtee; LifeSpan Before and After School Programs Director,
Heather Moyer; LifeSpan faculty Dawn Brown and Amanda Bechtel.
Learn more and support us please visit www.lifespanchildcare.org

9. Know Your Facts
Why are LifeSpan School-Age Programs Important to Quakertown?
On school days, 3-6 pm are the peak hours for youth to commit crimes, be in or cause car crashes, be victims of crime, and
smoke, drink and use drugs.
It is no coincidence that the reversal of the crime rate comes on the heels of the cuts in federal programs that prevent crime
and violence.— David Kass, executive director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Young people face a number of dangers
during the hours after school.
There are approximately 20 to 25 hours per week that children are out of school while most parents are at work, creating an
“after-school gap.”
Self-care and boredom can increase the likelihood that a young person will experiment with drugs and alcohol by as much as
50 percent. Youth tend to develop patterns of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use - or nonuse – from ages 12 to 15.
Youth who do not participate in afterschool programs are nearly three times more likely to skip classes at school than youth
who do participate. They are three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs, and also more likely to drink alcohol,
smoke cigarettes and engage in sexual activity than youth not in afterschool programs.
Afterschool programs decrease crime
and increase student safety.
Afterschool programs are a powerful antidote to youth crime:
• They provide a safe haven that keeps kids away from violence.
• They provide an alternative to gangs and street life, allowing kids to develop new skills and interact positively with peers.
• They offer youth hope and opportunities, offsetting the sense of being disconnected which then can cause youth to turn to
crime.
• They contribute to economic opportunity by providing academic support and job skills.
Innovative Learning in Afterschool
In general, studies on afterschool have shown stronger gains in math in comparison to reading and language arts; however
some programs have shown significant gains in increasing literacy and related skills, and programs across the country are
offering innovative solutions to promoting literacy engagement afterschool.
Afterschool programs are an invaluable support for education because they provide extra time for academic help and develop
our youth socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically in a safe environment.
School-Age programs like LifeSpan provide children with recreational, academic, and development opportunities that
supplement the education provided in a typical school day. We serve many purposes and comprise many youth activities. We
go beyond mere remedial help for students at risk of failing. Rather, our comprehensive programs offer students a range of
enriching activities.
Testimonial:
What Lifespan’s program offers most is a safe environment in which children learn to interact with others, be respectful to
teachers and peers, and to grow and mature. The largest testimonial to the program is that my daughter does not always
want me to pick her up early so that she can stay and have fun! As a parent, it gives me comfort to know that my child is
being cared for well. Michelle ~ Parent/Stakeholder

10. Encourage Location-Based Activity and or “With” Tagging on “Social Media”: By encouraging your fans to “check-in” at your
place of business, or “tag” they are with you is gaining additional exposure by appearing on your fans’ newsfeeds as well as
theirs, therefore extending your online reach.
This also reflects if you do the same, when posting, post where you are, where the picture was taken, who you are/were
with - Those affiliated with the entity or individual you just connected with will now see your posting.
Location/Individual Based Activity

11. Your Best and Biggest Allie
QDSD NEWS TEAM

12. Congressman Fitzpatrick
Not being available for an event does NOT mean “give up”.
Policymaker’s have important jobs to do and family too. Give alternate dates for options and FOLLOW UP

13. ALWAYS Send a THANK YOU