Latest News

The Power of Out-of-School Time: Education as a Human and Civil Right

January 20, 2026

Aspire students created their own bookmarks inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Day By Paula Fynboh, CEO On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I had…

Leading With Values When Everything Is on the Line

December 18, 2025

By Paula Fynboh, CEO One of the first responsibilities I was charged with when becoming Aspire’s CEO was ensuring the organization operationalized our values. In…

25 Historically Underserved Children Lost Their Afterschool Program Because of Federal Funding Cuts

November 20, 2025

Author: Sophie Nunziati The end-of-summer celebration at Aspire Afterschool Learning was supposed to be a joyful occasion. Instead, it ended in tears. After a day…

Lights On Afterschool: Celebrating and Connecting

October 27, 2025

At Aspire Afterschool Learning, our values guide everything we do. They’re not just words on our website; they’re the compass that guides how we show…

Helping Students Feel Safe, Seen, and Supported: Remarks from the Youth Mental Health Corps Launch

October 14, 2025

Aspire is honored to have been selected as one of eight programs in Virginia’s inaugural year participating in the Youth Mental Health Corps (YMHC). We…

Helping Students Choose to Transform the World: Remarks from Causes and Cocktails

October 8, 2025

At Aspire, we believe that education is about reading at grade level, just as much as is about teaching student’s character and preparing them to…

Creating for the Future: Aspire Officially Opens New Makerspace

October 7, 2025

Last week, Aspire proudly opened the doors to Arlington’s first no-cost Makerspace that’s designed for and accessible to 3rd-8th grade students, and we’re so excited…

Celebrating Arlington: Raffle Announcement

September 25, 2025

As Aspire’s Achieving Afterschool Celebration approaches, we’re excited to announce the raffle packages that will be featured during this event! This year, our raffle theme…

All Should Have the Opportunity to Thrive

September 10, 2025

An Op-Ed by Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez On April 28th, Aspire Afterschool Learning was one of 1,000 nonprofits across the country that received the gut-wrenching call…

Update on the Rising Together Campaign and School Year

August 26, 2025

As August wraps up and we look forward to welcoming students back for the new school year, we wanted to provide a quick update to…

My Summer Internship Experience: Developing Hope During Uncertain Times

August 19, 2025

Written by Sophie Nunziati, Development and Communications Intern Throughout the past two and a half months, I have served as the Development and Communications intern…

Media Coverage on Aspire and AmeriCorps Cuts

August 19, 2025

Follow along with Aspire in the news! We’ll update this page periodically. For media/press inquiries, please contact Aspire’s CEO, Paula Fynboh, at paula@aspireafterschool.org or 202-813-2140.

Past Service and New Members: Aspire’s Board of Directors

August 11, 2025

With the conclusion of Aspire’s 2022-2025 three-year strategic plan, we are grateful for the contributions of the three board members who have recently fulfilled their…

Aspire’s 2024-2025 Program Year Results

August 7, 2025

This has been a year of growth, impact, and resiliency for Aspire. We celebrated the organization’s 30th anniversary and finished our three-year strategic plan (July…

Explore the universe with Aspire students

August 6, 2025

Aspire’s six-week summer learning camp may have ended, but the learning students gained during this time will set them up for success in the coming…