Davis promotes afterschool programs in McKeesport visit
The lieutenant governor returned to the LaRosa Youth Club, where he spent much of his childhood.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis returned to McKeesport Monday to tout the state budget’s $11.5 million investment to provide more afterschool programs.
The funding will create the Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) program through PCCD, which intends to curb violence by offering more afterschool opportunities for children.
Davis visited the LaRosa Youth Club, where he spent a significant part of his youth, to emphasize the importance of afterschool programs.
“I grew up going to this facility, so I know firsthand the value of afterschool programs,” Davis said. “At their most basic level, they provide structure for students after the school day ends. But the best programs, like here at LaRosa, enhance and expand on what our kids are learning in school.”
Davis added that afterschool programs provide a safe space for kids when they’re not at school.
“We need to do more to keep young people safe and give them opportunities to see beyond the neighborhoods and communities (where they currently live),” he said. “That’s what this club did for me, and that’s what LaRosa’s doing for McKeesport every single day.
“No matter what they look like or what zip code they live in, every Pennsylvania kid deserves the freedom to be safe and feel safe in their community. And parents should have peace of mind knowing their kids are safe while they’re working hard to provide for their families.”
Davis cited a report by the Joint State Government Commission that found the return on investment for every $1 spent on out-ofschool programs is about $6.69.
“Where do you get a return like that anywhere in the economy?” LaRosa Youth Club CEO Jim Barry said.
State Sen. Jim Brewster, state Rep. Matthew Gergely and Mayor Michael Cherepko were also in attendance Monday.
Brewster, who also spent part of his youth going to LaRosa, called the organization a foundation of the city.
Gergely said LaRosa is an example of what afterschool programs have the potential to achieve.
“With this additional funding, they can expand their reach,” Gergely said.
Cherepko, a former McKeesport Area School District teacher, said he’s talked about providing positive experiences to the city’s youth since he ran for mayor. He views the state’s $11.5 million funding for the BOOST program as a great starting point.
“This isn’t a babysitting club, this isn’t a daycare, this is literally programming to help shape the minds of our youth and help teach them to make positive life choices,” Cherepko said of LaRosa.
Davis also took a tour of LaRosa, where he met kids who were playing games and working on art projects.
“We were pretty blessed to be in this situation for this statewide announcement to happen right here at the LaRosa Youth Club in McKeesport,” Barry said.
LaRosa offers tutoring and homework help services, as the club’s goal is “to keep kids going to school,” Barry said. The club also served more than 20,000 hot meals to the community last year.
“We’re very proud of what we do here,” Barry said. “We do a lot of things there at LaRosa in this out of school time that people don’t think about.”
Barry mentioned that affordable childcare is a pertinent issue. LaRosa charges $20 a month for a parent or caregiver’s child to attend the club, with additional fees for multiple children.
“But if somebody doesn’t have the ability to pay, they don’t pay,” Barry said.
