Iowa Afterschool Alliance News | |
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The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers is a U.S. Department of Education program, administered by the states, supporting out-of-school time learning opportunities for students in high-poverty, low-performing areas. The Iowa Department of Education administers 21CCLC funding in Iowa through grant competitions. 21CCLC programs focus on academic support, academic enrichment, and parent engagement.
The FY 2023 Requests for Applications closes on December 16th. You can access the RFA here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Heidi Brown at hbrown@sppg.com.
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Peer Learning Group Opportunity: Strengthening the OST Workforce by Elevating Innovation and Equity
This five-part virtual Peer Learning Group (PLG) for state and territory cross-sector teams will recognize the existence of staffing shortages while emphasizing a growth mindset and focusing on examples of current, successful state and local strategies. The specific focus will be placed on strengthening existing and building new equitable systems that support the out-of-school-time (OST) workforce, particularly as system planners work to implement the American Rescue Plan Act funds designed to rebuild early care and OST systems within states and territories. Applications are due by December 19. You can access the application here.
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Podcast: Journeys in Youth Development, Episode 1
In the first episode of Journeys in Youth Development, host Georgia Hall, Ph.D., director of NIOST, talks to Marisela Montoya, chief program officer at Foundation Communities in Austin, Texas, and Kourtney Andrada, senior director of school-based programs at Girls Inc. of Alameda County in Oakland, California. Marisela reads several excerpts from her essay “Sweet Spot,” about how she happened to wander into an afterschool program and found her calling. Kourtney reads from her essay “Investing in Communities of Color,” about her early experiences working with youth as both a track coach and as an advisor to teens in a migrant farmer community who would be first-generation college students. You can access the podcast here.
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Sign up for IAA Policy Updates
As we move into the 2023 legislative session, the Iowa Afterschool Alliance will once again send out bi-weekly policy updates. The Iowa Afterschool Alliance will use this newsletter to keep programs up to date about legislation that directly or indirectly impacts the out-of-school time field, provide overall session updates, and discuss advocacy efforts programs can easily implement.
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U.S. education and labor departments announce initiative to focus on K-12 student career experiences
On November 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced its joint effort with the Department of Commerce and Labor, “Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success,” an initiative to connect K-12 education, post-secondary education, and workforce programs to prepare youth for the jobs of tomorrow. The partnership emphasizes engaging youth in career pathway opportunities and work-based learning experiences before they graduate high school, including experiences that help students earn industry credentials, earn college credit, and participate in registered apprenticeships in areas such as science, infrastructure, automotive services, and cybersecurity. It builds on the 2023 budget proposal of the Biden administration for a $200 million investment in “Career-Connected High Schools” that has yet to pass. Read the afterschool alliance article here.
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Possible Futures Pilot Programs
Career Exploration and Soft Skill Development
JFF’s Possible Futures provides career exploration for learners in grades 6 through 10, with a vision that every young person will gain the foundational knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to make critical decisions about their future with confidence. If you are a program that serves K-5, IAA can partner with you to adapt the curriculum to meet your students' needs.
Through Possible Futures, young people can better understand future career opportunities and start preparing for them in middle school, a critical developmental period for building their engagement and sense of agency.
The Million Girls Moonshot has collaborated with Jobs for the Future to expand access to this great curriculum! The Iowa Afterschool Alliance and the Active Learning Community Partnership is looking for 5 programs to pilot the Possible Futures curriculum. Each pilot site will receive $1,000 mini grant as well as a personalized Qualtrics data dashboard for participating in the pilot.
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STEM Technical Assistance
Personalized STEM Support
Have you received STEM activities technology through a grant and would like guidance on how to use it or integrate it into different lessons? Do you want to increase the quality of your STEM lesson plans? Or do you need support in getting STEM activities off the ground on your program? The Iowa Afterschool Alliance in partnership with The Iowa Children’s Museum, Blank Park Zoo, and The Science Center, are looking to support afterschool programs across the state.
Through the Million Girls Moonshot Initiative, we will be offering hands-on technical assistance to out-of-school time programs that are looking for support to start or increase the STEM activities offered in the out-of-school time setting. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com, or Hannah at hmcdowell@sppg.com if you are interested in this opportunity, know a program that would benefit from this opportunity, or would like more information. If you would like more information about the Million Girls Moonshot resources, please visit our website.
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STEM Opportunities
For opportunities from the Million Girls Moonshot,
please visit the STEM for Iowa website.
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Meet IF/THEN Ambassador Kim Swennen
Kim’s adventurous career path has included everything from walking Hollywood red carpets and performing in London theatre to teaching girls to code in Namibia and engineering at Google. Kim received a BA in Theater Studies from Yale and a Masters in Classical Acting from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, specializing in Shakespeare. She then spent eight years as an actor in Hollywood, appearing on shows like Mad Men, True Blood, Gilmore Girls, Chuck, NCIS:LA, and Criminal Minds. And then, at the age of 30, she decided she wanted to build things. So she went back to school, and completed her Masters in Computer Science from UCLA in 2014.
Kim currently works on Google Arts and Culture as a Senior Software Engineer (artsandculture.google.com), where she helps preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere. Prior to that, she worked for several years on YouTube Channel Subscriptions. Kim also contributes passionately to Google’s CS in Media initiatives, advocating for the portrayal of more women and underrepresented men as STEM characters on film and television.
| IF/THEN® Collection (ifthencollection.org)
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Professional Development Opportunities | |
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Apply for the Iowa Afterschool Alliance
Leadership Series today!
Have you applied for the Iowa Afterschool Alliance Leadership Series? It's not too late! You have two more days to submit an application before the deadline on December 14th. Know an afterschool professional in a leadership role? Encourage them to apply!
What is the IAA Leadership Series:
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance Leadership Series is a FREE 5-month leadership experience designed to help program leaders develop the self-awareness and skills needed to successfully grow, retain, and inspire a team that provides excellent service and meets the unique needs of youth and families in your community!
Who Should Participate:
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance Leadership Series is designed for afterschool professionals in leadership roles. Executive leadership, Program Directors, and Site Coordinators overseeing staff implementing youth programming are encouraged to apply. Applications are due by December 14, 2022.
Core components include:
- Exploration of Leadership Style
- Leadership Learning
- Online Resources and Support
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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.
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Wallace Foundation Resources
Millions of urban children and teens lack access to afterschool programs that provide rich opportunities for growth, learning and fun. One possible solution is to coordinate the work of programs, government agencies, private funders and others involved in afterschool programs—that is, build an afterschool system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Key components of afterschool systems include efforts to improve program quality and collection of data to inform decision-making.
Browse reports and other resources the Wallace Foundation provides for insights into making high-quality afterschool programming more readily available to urban young people.
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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.
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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.
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THE IOWA AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE IS HERE FOR YOU
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