August 2022

Register for the Impact Afterschool Conference

Have you registered for the Impact Afterschool Conference yet? It's not too late to register!

We're excited to host this year's Impact Afterschool Conference at the Blank Park Zoo! Join afterschool professionals in Iowa from all areas and levels of expertise on September 22 & 23, 2022 for professional development, experiential learning, and networking.

You don't want to miss out! Register today!

Learn How to Host a Day of Service at your Afterschool Program!

Are you wanting to engage more youth in your community through volunteering? Are you interested in hosting a service day at your organization, program, or school?

Volunteer Iowa will be hosting a virtual session on engaging youth specifically in service day planning activities. The session will be on Wednesday August 17th from 3:00-4:00pm. We will dedicate the last 15 minutes of the session to help YOU get started preparing for 9/11 Day. Participants are free to leave if they wish during this time. This is a great opportunity to launch a service project for 9/11 Day of Service and involve youth in the process of planning for this day. We will walk through how to do just that and provide project ideas to kick start this work. Participants will leave equipped to launch service day projects for 9/11 Day of Service or enhance their existing programs to incorporate youth voice. A recording will be sent out after the presentation, but we encourage participants to join in live.   

CHIPS and Science Act Passes

CHIPS and Science Act Passes - Congress passed the CHIPS+ Science legislation (formerly known as USICA/COMPETES) last week in bipartisan fashion, sending it to President Biden to sign into law. There were many variations of the legislation and rumors of what would or could be included in the final package, but as the bill went to print, two provisions that were included in previous versions that support afterschool and informal STEM learning bill made it into the final version. Those two programs are:

• PreK-12 STEM Education – This provision supports research and development of innovative before-school, afterschool, out of school, or summer activities designed to encourage interest, engagement, and skill development in STEM.
• Rural STEM Education Research – The Broadening Participation of Rural Students in STEM program will fund research and development of programs to identify barriers for rural students in accessing high quality STEM learning and also develop innovative solutions to improve participation. The language, like we’ve noted before, includes nonprofits and youth serving orgs as eligible partners in this work.
• Note that these programs are only authorized for funding and will require Congress to fund the programs directly during the appropriations process.

National Partnership for Student Success

On July 5th the White House formally launched this effort to support a nationwide three-year effort that brings together experienced organizations to recruit, screen, train, support, and engage an additional 250,000 caring adults in roles serving as tutors, mentors, student success coaches, wraparound service coordinators, and post-secondary transition coaches. Learn more about the National Partnership for Student Success here.

Education Department Announces $68 Million in Grants to Support Students Through Full-Service Community Schools

The Department of Education announced $68 million in grant funding to support students through Full-Service Community Schools. The Notice Inviting Applications was posted on Wednesday, July 13 in the Federal Register.. You can review the most updated grant timeline here.

School Arts Experience Grants

School Arts Experience Grants provide support to schools, professional teaching artists and non-profit organizations to strengthen the role of the arts in student learning and achievement. Apply for funding to present fine arts activities, performances, and educational content to expand learning opportunities to Iowa students. 

Activities for Programs

Keep Your Cool! Design Your Own Cooler Challenge - Youth design a cooler that will keep a bottle water cool using the engineering process. They test their prototype and graph their results to determine the effectiveness of the solution.

Get it Write! - Youth engineering a writing device (pen) using everyday materials. They think about both the (water soluble) "ink" and the delivery mechanism.

Take Flight - Using everyday materials, youth engineer a glider that can fly straight for 15 feet.

The STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education Center

Provides evidence-based resources and strategies for practitioners and families to engage children with disabilities in STEM learning.

Career Girls

Toolkits, including lesson plans featuring diverse women role models for educators, mentors, and families to learn about youth’s interests and to engage youth in empowering STEM-learning activities.

"Access to STEM" Framework

Unveiled at the Million Girls Moonshot Girls Build Solutions event, access to the revised STEM Framework can be found here.

Meet IF/THEN Ambassador Beata Edyta Mierzwa  

Beata Edyta Mierzwa is a molecular biologist who combines science, art and fashion to share the beauty of biology with the world. Her award-winning PhD research at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology revealed that the final step in cell division works differently than

people thought!

Now, working at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at UCSD, she studies how different types of cells divide to broaden the world’s understanding of cell division and improve cancer therapy. When not doing experiments, Beata creates science art and fashion. Her drawings portray scientific concepts in intuitive ways, while her science fashion celebrates the beauty of the tiny universe within us. Making artwork for journal covers, conferences and even space mission patches, her unique approach to science communication has been recognized by multiple awards around the world.

As an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, Beata’s mission is to combine art and science to inspire

creative and unconventional minds who will change the world with innovative research and groundbreaking discoveries. Learn more about Beata Edyta Mierzwa here!

DiscoverE Future City

Throughout the fall, participants work in teams of at least three students, an educator, and volunteer mentor to bring their vision of their future city to life. What do they see, hear, smell, and feel? From this starting point, they will design a futuristic city with innovative solutions to some of today’s most pressing sustainability issues. This strategy enables organizational partners, volunteers, and educators to effectively reach millions of students, parents, and young adults with the message that engineers work with smart, inspiring people to invent, design, and create things that matter. Submit an interest form here.

Techbridge Girls Curriculum & Training

Techbridge Girls (TBG) is an award-winning national nonprofit bringing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to all girls across the U.S. For 20+ years, TBG has reengineered the way STEM education is taught, centering our girls’ brilliance and potential, emphasizing increasing STEM access, belonging, and persistence for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color) youth from systematically marginalized communities. TBG will offer three different curriculum training programs for afterschool staff: 1) Ignite for 3-8th grade youth, 2) Inspire for 4-5th grade girls, and 3) Changemakers for 6-8th grade girls.

Submit an interest form here.

ACRES September Cohort: Modeling Math Practices

ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily routines in our afterschool programs. In this module, afterschool educators will explore and practice strategies for making math engaging and accessible. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort.

DATES: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern Time on the following Wednesdays: 9/28/2022, 10/12/2022, 10/26/2022

Use the code AC240MP when registering here.

Teen Science Cafe

Teen Science Café programs are a free, fun way for teens to engage in lively conversations with STEM experts that explore the advances in science and technology that affect their lives. In these events, teens socialize over teen-friendly food and drink and have a lively conversation with local scientists and engineers about current cutting-edge developments in their fields, all in a relaxed and informal out-of-school setting. Teen Science Cafés are for teens, by teens. A core group of Teen Leaders, with the committed mentorship of an Adult Leader, plan and run the café programs. They welcome as diverse of a teen crowd as possible—diverse in ethnicity, culture, gender, and motivations for learning about science. Teen Science Cafés are not just for the science geeks; they are for all curious teens. Along the way, teen organizers gain a host of leadership skills. Cafés are typically run about an hour and a half once per month during the school year. Stipends are provided to selected sites to support the implementation of Teen Science Cafes. Submit an interest form here.

Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity from the Hive Research Network 

This toolkit shares ways in which various out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering. We provide a framework, practice briefs and reports that focus on a particular issue or challenge and provide concrete examples, as well as illustrate how our partners worked through designing new brokering routines in partnership with our research team.

National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment: Strengthening the Out-of-School Time (OST) Workforce: A Guide to Developing Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are industry-driven career pathways that combine classroom instruction, on-the-job training (paid work experience), and mentorship, generally leading to a nationally recognized credential or degree. They are gaining momentum in Out-of-School Time (OST) as an alternate career pathway that supports equity in the workforce. In this guide, you will learn why apprenticeships are a useful strategy for OST staff, programs, and field leaders. The guide also identifies challenges to address and explores key elements of an apprenticeship program and promising practices. Click here to view the guide.

Out of School Time Professional Development Center

The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here. 

Great Content on Y4Y!

You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register.

Afterschool Alliance Webinars

The Afterschool Alliance offers webinars on a wide range of topics, from policy and the new Every Student Succeeds Act, to STEM and Social-Emotional Learning. Find out more on their webinars website. 

Iowa Child Care Training Registry

Find professional development for school-age programming on the State of Iowa Child Care Training Registry on topics ranging from health and safety to developmentally appropriate programming. Find out more online.

National Afterschool Association PD Resources

NAA provides afterschool professionals with resources to stay up-to-date on the latest topics in afterschool and summer learning. Find out more on their website here. 

Resources for STEM Programming

The Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) provides background information that is useful for the development of STEM programming. Find out more on their website.

The Afterschool Tech Toolkit aims to empower afterschool professionals and educators with strategies and training so they can provide students with access to technology outside of classroom hours. It includes training modules on getting started, training staff, accessing technology, and devices, and more. Take a look at the toolkit here.  

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