February 2023

STEM Opportunities

Call for Student Artwork

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is creating a new opportunity to showcase student artwork at the 2023 Nita M. Lowey 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) Summer Symposium being held July 19-20, 2023, in New Orleans, LA. Selected artwork by your 21^st CCLC grantees’ students may be featured in printed conference materials, as part of displays at on-site or off-site locations, and digitally as part of the program website. Your State is invited to submit up to three pieces of artwork for the Department’s consideration.

What items can you submit? 

You may submit images of student artwork, photographs, or creations. As long as it can be photographed, it can be submitted! Submissions should reflect the theme for the Summer Symposium: “Celebrating 21^st CCLC Resilience: Yesterday, Today, and Beyond.”

Who decides what items to submit? 

Your State is responsible for selecting and submitting items to the Department. 

Who may submit artwork?

States are invited to submit artwork created by preK-12 students participating in a 21^st CCLC program. Submissions can be by individual students or be a group project.

How do you submit items?  

Click here to complete the online submission form. You will need to submit a hi-resolution JPEG or PNG file and provide the following information:

·        Program Name

·        Program Contact Information

·        Student artist names and grades

How will the final artwork be selected? 

The Department will review submissions using a scoring rubric based on their relation to the Symposium’s theme and the overall goals of the 21^st CCLC program. The Department will select one image to be featured in Summer Symposium branding, with the option to include other submissions in other Symposium materials or activities. Click here to view the scoring rubric.

What’s the deadline? 

Please submit up to three items by 8pm Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.   

Thank you!  

The Department appreciates all you do on behalf of students and families, and we look forward to reviewing your State’s submissions. We hope you plan to join us at the Symposium, where we’ll be celebrating 25 years of 21^st CCLC program funding! If you have questions or comments about this invitation, please send them to Leed Management Consulting, Inc. (LMCi) at 21stcclc@leedmci.com. LMCi is coordinating the collection of student artwork submissions on behalf of the Department. 

New Year, New Opportunity to Get Involved! Deadline Extended to March 2023!

Thanks to all your work in 2022, we reached youth workers in every state! Mentors and tutors, coaches, librarians, camp counselors, afterschool leaders, and more who support youth completed the Power of Us Workforce Survey in 2022 to ensure their experiences are reflected in the survey data. 

With millions of children and youth receiving supports nationwide, we want to make sure as many youth workers and volunteers as possible can take the Power of Us Workforce Survey. Therefore, we have extended the deadline for the Power of Us Workforce Survey to March 31, 2023. 

Visit the Power of Us website to see how your state is doing, with an updated map here every Monday! Make sure youth fields workers in your state are completing the survey by continuing to post about and share information on the survey in 2023.

Are you ready to roll up your sleeves in 2023 to help us reach as many youth field workers and volunteers as possible? Read below for upcoming events, tips, and ideas!

Take Action

Share the news of the survey extension in your networks through one of the following activities:

• Share the Power Pledge opportunity with 5 organizations—honoraria are still available for a select number of organizations who commit to a recruitment target of youth workforce staff and volunteers to take the survey.
• Send an email to 10 people (staff, volunteers, friends) in the youth fields workforce and encourage them to take the survey and share with others.

Post about the survey on your social media channels—tag us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so we can repost your content! See suggested posts at the end of the email and in the toolkit.

The Afterschool Alliance has created a new Start-Up Guide for Implementing Credit-for-Learning Programs has tips to help you at every phase of developing a credit-for-learning program. The guide can be found here.

The Iowa legislature is quickly moving a variety of bills through the subcommittee and committee process. Over the last two weeks a handful of bills focused on LGBTQ+ and education have been introduced and some have moved through the committee process and were debated on the floor. On February 7, 2023, Gov. Reynolds signed SF 192, a bill that increases per-student education funding by 3 percent, bringing general fund spending on K-12 education to $3.8 billion.  

“This results in a $1.19 billion increase in K-12 education funding since 2012,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This investment represents our commitment to an excellent education system for all Iowans.” 

The 3% increase is higher than in previous years, but education advocates worry it still falls short of what schools need to meet current costs. IAA continues to monitor legislation that may impact out-of-school time and will provide updates on these bills every two weeks.

Governor Reynolds has proposed a government reorganization, reducing the number of executive branches from 37 to 16, and has introduced the legislation that outlines this process. For more detailed information, you can find the bill here. The initial legislation appears to have effects on a couple of departments that impact youth opportunities: move the Department of Cultural Affairs to the Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Department of Human Rights into Health and Human Services. IAA will watch as this legislation progresses and report on any direct or indirect impacts it may have on youth, education, and out-of-school time.

This week the Department of Health and Human Services announced a significant investment in new child care initiatives. These initiatives were developed from a combination of the Child Care Task Force recommendations, parent and provider input, and Early Childhood Iowa. Highlights include:

• Increasing the “front door” eligibility for CCA from 145% to 155%. This will provide more families with low-income access to CCA, increase the hourly wage for initial eligibility from $17.40 to $18.60.
• Increase in the payments that child care facilities receive when serving CAA families.
• Two-year pilot project that makes full-time child care facility employees categorically eligible for CCA regardless of income.

More information about these initiatives can be found here.

Applications for the Summer Youth Internship Program Grants are due by Feb. 28, 2023

This week, Governor Reynolds announced that $379,000 will be made available to fund Future Ready Iowa Summer Youth Internship Programs. The grant supports the creation of internship programs for Iowa’s youth between the ages of 14-24 that help prepare them for high-demand careers.

Eligible applicants include non-profits, educational institutions, employers, and community organizations. The target audience for participants includes high school youth who are at risk of not graduating, youth from low-income households, youth from communities underrepresented in the Iowa workforce, or youth who otherwise face barriers to success and upward mobility in the labor market. Funds may be used for services and resources that support internship programs, including direct participant wages, training resources, and more. 

Applications for the grant will open on Jan. 16 and must be submitted on IowaGrants.gov by noon on Feb. 28, 2023. 

Here are resources and information about the grant program: 

• Summer Youth Internship Program (FutureReadyIowa.gov)
• Grant Application Webinar on Jan. 17, 2023
• IowaGrants.gov Link

Garden Grant Program

Apply for up to $3,000 to start a garden and teach children how to grow food!

Through the Garden Grant program, schools and non-profit organizations turn outdoor spaces into powerful hands-on learning gardens that connect kids with food, spark their curiosity and support classroom curriculum.

Deadline: Applications are accepted February 1 through March 1, 2023.

Click here for more information.

GARDEN GRANT Q&A WEBINAR

For all Applicants - Wednesday February 15, 2023 @ 2PM CST: Register here!

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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